September 13, 2018 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter by Bay Area Reporter

Out candidates in Berkeley

Turning Tenderloin green

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Lily Tomlin

Nightlife Events

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Vol. 48 • No. 37 • September 13-19, 2018

SF police panel to discuss Egg case

by Ed Walsh

A Supervisor Catherine Stefani

Rick Gerharter

Siblings’ struggles drive SF Supe Stefani

by Matthew S. Bajko

he personal has proved to be political for San Francisco Supervisor Catherine Stefani since being appointed in January as the representative for Cow Hollow, the Marina, Russian Hill, and Pacific Heights. In March, when voting to rename a terminal at San Francisco International Airport in honor of the late gay rights icon and city supervisor Harvey Milk, Stefani spoke of how her younger sister, Christine Stefani, struggled to come out as a lesbian to their Italian Catholic family in the Central Valley where they lived. Recalling her support for the naming proposal during a recent editorial board meeting with the Bay Area Reporter, Stefani said it was one of the “most emotional votes” she has cast during the eight months she has served on the board. Former supervisor Mark Farrell named Stefani to his District 2 seat in January after a majority of the board elected him mayor following the sudden death in December of then-mayor Ed Lee. “What I saw my sister go through in the 1990s coming out was torture for her. She was engaged to a man because she thought she had to do that,” recalled Stefani, 48, a former senior aide to both Farrell and his predecessor, supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier. Today, Christine Stefani, 42, lives in Davis with her partner of two years and works as a nurse in the maternity ward of a local hospital. Four years ago, at the invitation of her older sister, Christine Stefani and her mother marched together in San Francisco’s annual Pride parade for the first time with Farrell’s contingent. “When I came out at 21, my mom wasn’t very accepting and we didn’t have the best relationship for a couple years. Fast forward to my mom doing her own research with PFLAG and other organizations to fully accept me,” she recalled. “Then to march in the Pride parade with me was such a big experience. It brings tears to my eyes.” Last month, Catherine Stefani was one of the few local politicians to withdraw her endorsement for a school board candidate when her past comments opposing transgender rights were highlighted in media reports. The decision didn’t surprise her sibling. “My sister always has been an advocate and always supported gay and lesbian rights. She has been supportive of me 110 percent since I came out,” Christine Stefani told the B.A.R. As the city grapples with how to address rampant intravenous drug use on the streets, substance abuse See page 12 >>

San Francisco police commissioner and a city supervisor are weighing in with concerns about the police handling of the case of Brian Egg, whose headless torso is believed to have been left in a fish tank in his South of Market house. Egg’s neighbors have voiced anger and frustration that their concerns over Egg’s disappearance were not taken seriously. Lesbian San Francisco Police Commissioner Petra DeJesus told the Bay Area Reporter last week that she has questions and concerns about how police handled the investigation and plans to raise them during the commission’s regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday evening, September 12. [The meeting is after the print edition of the B.A.R. goes to press.] DeJesus said she planned to bring a copy of the B.A.R. with her to the meeting to address some of the criticism raised by the paper last week in an editorial, as well as a news article, on the case. She said she wanted to gather as many facts as possible on the case before passing judgment on the actions by police. Gay San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who chairs the board’s public safety and neighborhood services committee, is also calling for answers. “Brian Egg’s death is a tragic loss for the

Rick Gerharter

Lee Brandon Espinosa lights a candle in memory of Brian Egg during a vigil outside Egg’s home Tuesday, September 11, which would have been Egg’s 66th birthday.

LGBTQ community. I believe that his friends, neighbors, and the greater community deserve an explanation as to why the SFPD handled the case in the way that they did,” Mandelman wrote in a statement to the B.A.R. “Ultimately, I hope law enforcement can bring justice and closure for his friends and family, and restore a sense of safety to his neighbors.” Egg’s home, at 228 Clara Street, is part of District 6, represented by Supervisor Jane Kim. An

Kids rule at Oakland Pride by Jack Shea

ids. There were hundreds of them marching in this year’s Oakland Pride parade. They led off the festivities marching with Our Family Coalition, which used the mini train from Children’s Fairyland, and they continued walking with their families in contingents representing schools, churches, the library, and more. Stomper, the Oakland A’s elephant mascot, even joined in the fun, donning an A’s and rainbow-themed flag during the September 9 parade. In short, Oakland has maintained its tradition as a very family-friendly Pride event, and, as always, celebrated the rich diversity of the East Bay. This was Oakland’s ninth annual Pride celebration and fifth annual parade. Pride officials said this year’s event was the biggest yet. “It was absolutely great, and definitely our biggest year yet,” Carlos Uribe, co-chair of the Pride board, wrote in an email Tuesday. “We’re looking at, or around, 52,000 in attendance. We’ve been floating below 50,000 for the last few years and I think that we definitely blew that out of the water.” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf again rode in her flame-shooting snail car (right after the Oakland Fire Department’s contingent), but this year she wore a custom-designed rainbow flag-themed dress that was a hit at the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club’s annual Pride Breakfast, where she spoke earlier Sunday morning. “I’m thankful I’m not in jail yet,” she quipped,

Jane Philomen Cleland

Tadeo Ramos-Grima, 6, joined mom Josie Ramos-Grima in the Tykes on Trikes contingent at the Oakland Pride parade September 9.

a reference to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Donald Trump, who have harshly criticized her for issuing a warning earlier this year ahead of a sweep by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Schaaf thanked club members “for having my back as mayor.” Other parade highlights included the Feelmore Gallery contingent. An adult pleasure products store located on Telegraph Avenue, Feelmore

{ FIRST OF THREE SECTIONS }

Now I’m Here

The sixth novel by Lambda Literary Award-winning author Jim Provenzano

Sept. 20

aide to Kim responded to the B.A.R. Monday, September 10, and asked for a list of questions. No response has been received by press time. San Francisco Police Chief William Scott has not responded to the B.A.R.’s requests for comment. Friends of Egg’s held a vigil in front of his house Tuesday, September 11, which would have been his 66th birthday. Neighbors lit candles and shared photos of Egg, who had once worked as a bartender at the Stud. See page 13 >>

Release event - Dog Eared Books with Peter Fogel performing songs by Queen 7pm. 489 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA • www.jimprovenzano.com

owner Nenna Joiner, an African-American lesbian, drove the vintage ice cream truck that she uses as a pop-up store on weekends. Legacies of the Pacific’s Polynesian dancers, whose grass skirts were in rainbow flag colors, proved to be popular with the crowd. At the festival, booths filled Franklin Street as candidates for office, LGBT organizations, nonprofits, and vendors enjoyed the large crowd. Entertainers focused on music of empowerment and activism. See page 12 >>

<< Community News

2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

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he Castro Merchants gave its unanimous approval to the concept of a new retail cannabis dispensary, Sugar, to be located at 3989 17th Street, adjacent to Jane Warner Plaza. Earlier this year, the owners of the Wild Card gift shop closed their business at that location after 22 years, citing neighborhood crime and blight. The merchants association, which voted on Sugar September 6, previously approved another retail cannabis application, Flore Store, to be located at 258 Noe Street, at Market, currently a nail salon. The merchants’ approval is not binding but is part of the process of reaching out to neighborhood organizations for support when Sugar appears before the planning commission for a conditional use permit. When details of their operating plans are finalized, the owners would return to the merchants group, seeking its approval again. If both applications are approved, the neighborhood would have three places to buy recreational and medicinal pot, joining the Apothecarium at 2029 Market Street, across from Safeway. None of the stores in the Castro plan to have on-site usage of cannabis. In a brief interview before the merchants meeting, Sugar co-owner Romwald M. (Ray) Connolly told the Bay Area Reporter that he and his partner, Desmond Morgan, plan to renovate the upper flat, which will become their new home. Connolly said that five years ago, he left his job in the software industry, where he worked for 20 years; Morgan still works in pharmaceutical sales.

Sari Staver

Desmond Morgan, left, and his partner, Romwald M. (Ray) Connolly, plan to open Sugar, a retail cannabis shop, in the Castro.

In his presentation to the merchants association, Connolly said the couple plan to install four to six cameras on the building’s facade, which would capture footage within a 75100 foot radius of Jane Warner Plaza. The 2,600 square foot store would have a separate section selling cannabis for medicinal use, with trained staff members available for consultations. The earliest the store would open is January, he said. When asked what the new owners would do to prevent the plaza “from smelling like pot,” Connolly said new packaging requirements eliminated any odors from products. He also said that customers would be required to sign in and if they were found to be smoking on the street, which is prohibited by law, they would be banned from shopping there in the future. The couple had twice attempted to open dispensaries in the city, one near Fisherman’s Wharf and one at 2352

Market Street, but both applications were subsequently withdrawn. Connolly did not return repeated emails and text messages for further details on those applications. The permit application for Sugar in August came several months after Alan and his business partners filed their application to open a retail shop, the Flore Store. Alan also is a partner in Flore, a cafe at Noe and Market streets. In an interview at Flore, Alan told the B.A.R. that he has “no information” on when the city’s cannabis office would act on the application. Once the application is approved, Alan would be required to appear before the planning commission and, if successful, could begin renovation. The new store could be open as early as the first quarter of 2019, he said. Repeated phone calls and emails to the San Francisco Office of Cannabis for comment were not returned at press time.t

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he 12th annual Portola Garden Tour will take place Saturday, September 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and tickets are available. Once home to flower-growing enterprises and farms, the Portola is known as San Francisco’s garden district. The upcoming tour is a selfguided walk through private and public gardens in the sunny Portola neighborhood in the city’s southeastern quadrant. Organizers said that there is a surprising array of hidden gardens behind primarily mid-century homes. The tour is a fundraiser for City College of San Francisco’s horticulture students. Participants will learn about what plants thrive in the city and how to make even small spaces outstanding; ideas for decks and patios; and fun landscaping tips. The event started out in 2007 as a fundraiser for the Portola library, and officials said that once the branch opened in 2009, the community decided to continue the event and created the Portola Garden Scholarship at City College for environmental horticulture and floristry department students. To date, 17 scholarships and three work projects in the Portola have been awarded to City College students. The library’s own public garden and seed lending library will be on the tour. Tickets are $25 or $20 each for two

Courtesy SF Public Library.

One of the many unique gardens in the Portola neighborhood.

or more. They can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets. com/event/3594065. Garden locations will be listed on tickets. New this year will be an after-party at 3 p.m. at Ferment, Drink, Repeat (FDR) brewery, 2636 San Bruno Avenue in San Francisco.

Free sno-cones at SFPUC events

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is celebrating 100 years of clean power with free sno-cones made from 100 percent Hetch Hetchy water, and there will be a station at the LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, Friday, September 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Officials said that, since 1918, the SFPUC has been harnessing the natural force of gravity to create clean power as water flows downhill from Yosemite to the Bay Area. This energizes city streetlights, Muni, schools, City Hall, the zoo, hospitals, San Francisco International Airport, and more. Recently, the SFPUC launched its CleanPowerSF program, which provides renewable energy from sources like wind and solar to residents and businesses. The agency said it is well on its way to meeting the city’s goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2020 and 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Other Friday locations for the snocones include the Exploratorium, Pier 15, The Embarcadero, from 2 to 4 p.m.; and the Orchard Garden Hotel, 466 Bush Street, from 5 to 7.

New exhibit at GLBT museum

A new exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of the defeat of the Briggs initiative will open this week at the GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th Street in San Francisco. Proposition 6, as it was known, was on the California ballot in 1978 and would have banned gay people and supporters of lesbian and gay rights from teaching in public schools. “The Briggs Initiative: A Scary Proposition” recounts the history of this turning point for LGBTQ rights. Sponsored by then-state Senator John Briggs, Prop 6 was part of a wave of homophobic ballot measures across the U.S. On November 7, 1978, Californians decisively See page 12 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

Volume 48, Number 37 September 13-19, 2018 www.ebar.com PUBLISHER Michael M. Yamashita Thomas E. Horn, Publisher Emeritus (2013) Publisher (2003 – 2013) Bob Ross, Founder (1971 – 2003) NEWS EDITOR Cynthia Laird ARTS EDITOR Roberto Friedman BARTAB EDITOR & EVENTS LISTINGS EDITOR Jim Provenzano ASSISTANT EDITORS Matthew S. Bajko • Alex Madison CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ray Aguilera • Tavo Amador • Race Bannon Erin Blackwell • Roger Brigham Brian Bromberger • Victoria A. Brownworth Brent Calderwood • Philip Campbell Heather Cassell • Belo Cipriani • Dan Renzi Christina DiEdoardo • Richard Dodds Michael Flanagan • Jim Gladstone David Guarino • Liz Highleyman Brandon Judell • John F. Karr • Lisa Keen Matthew Kennedy • Joshua Klipp David Lamble • Max Leger Michael McDonagh • Juanita MORE! David-Elijah Nahmod • Paul Parish Sean Piverger • Lois Pearlman Tim Pfaff • Jim Piechota • Bob Roehr Adam Sandel • Jason Serinus • Gregg Shapiro Gwendolyn Smith • Tony Taylor • Sari Staver Jim Stewart • Sean Timberlake • Andre Torrez Ronn Vigh • Charlie Wagner • Ed Walsh Cornelius Washington • Sura Wood ART DIRECTION Max Leger PRODUCTION/DESIGN Ernesto Sopprani PHOTOGRAPHERS Jane Philomen Cleland • FBFE Rick Gerharter • Gareth Gooch Jose Guzman-Colon • Rudy K. Lawidjaja Georg Lester • Dan Lloyd • Jo-Lynn Otto Rich Stadtmiller • Kelly Sullivan • Fred Rowe Steven Underhil • Dallis Willard • Bill Wilson ILLUSTRATORS & CARTOONISTS Paul Berge • Christine Smith ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION Colleen Small Bogitini VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVERTISING Scott Wazlowski – 415.829.8937 NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media – 212.242.6863

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News Editor • news@ebar.com Arts Editor • arts@ebar.com Out & About listings • jim@ebar.com Advertising • scott@ebar.com Letters • letters@ebar.com Published weekly. Bay Area Reporter reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement which the publisher believes is in poor taste or which advertises illegal items which might result in legal action against Bay Area Reporter. Ads will not be rejected solely on the basis of politics, philosophy, religion, race, age, or sexual orientation. Advertising rates available upon request. Our list of subscribers and advertisers is conﬁdential and is not sold. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, and writers published herein is neither inferred nor implied. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

Zhao made herself unacceptable S

an Francisco school board candidate Josephine Zhao did the right thing when she announced Monday that she was exiting the race. In fact, had she not done so, this editorial would have called on her to withdraw. Almost from the moment she entered the race, Zhao received criticism for her comments in 2013 opposing Assembly Bill 1266, the bill authored by gay former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) that ensures transgender youth have the opportunity to fully participate and succeed in schools across the state. Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill later that year, which allows trans students to use bathrooms and join sports teams consistent with their gender identity. According to translated comments made at a news conference opposing AB 1266 that was reported in the Chinese-language press, and published by http://www.48hills.org, Zhao said the bill would “lead to public moral issues, violence, and even create conditions for more incidences of rape on school campuses.” She also said allowing trans students to use their desired bathroom “offends and violates the rights and privacies of the other 98 percent.” Zhao apologized for those comments last month. However, last week, the San Francisco Examiner reported that Zhao was telling Mandarinspeaking supporters that she still opposes trans restrooms, while giving a different message in English, saying she supports them. Columnist Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez wrote that he obtained text messages with those conflicting views, and that Zhao still does not support gender-neutral restrooms. Last Friday, the co-chairs of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club called on her to leave the race. Eric Lukoff and Gina Simi stated in an Examiner op-ed that Zhao’s statements “fuel misinformation and hate.” We believe that Zhao is not an ally to the LGBT community. Simply put, we don’t trust her, because clearly her initial apology was insincere.

Her opposition to gender-neutral bathrooms, which are now law in California, makes her unfit for public office – now and in the future. Rodriguez’s reporting, and a similar article by Joe Eskenazi at Mission Local, instead show political opportunism at its worst. Zhao cynically expressed her views to solidify her base in the Chinese community, while telling the English-speaking San Francisco political establishment what it wanted to hear. And of that political establishment ... we remain troubled that gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) was an early and strong supporter of Zhao’s, as was Mayor London Breed. Some politicians, notably District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani, severed support and withdrew their endorsements of Zhao last month. Other political leaders, especially the LGBT ones, should have immediately followed suit, and it’s unfortunate that they failed to do so. Trans kids in this country are under siege today. They are taunted and relentlessly bullied on social media and in real life. More and more parents support their trans kids, only to find roadblocks at school, especially regarding bathroom and locker room use. When bullying and taunting happens at school, administrators, staff, and the school board must support trans youth. That can be done through proactive measures such as holding assemblies, and most importantly, district-wide policies that are clear, fair, and implemented. That’s what a school board does, and that’s why Zhao was not a good choice to sit on it.

SFPOA sends wrong message

The San Francisco Police Officers Association is sending the wrong message with its opposition to Mayor London Breed’s plan for a safe injection site pilot program. On Monday, the SFPOA released a public service announcement that says its members “are not confident that this is the right approach.” Instead, the association stated, drug addicts deserve a pathway to recovery.

Here’s the thing: supervised injection sites, where people can use drugs under the watch of staff, are a pathway to recovery. Safe injection sites provide sterile needles, which prevents transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C, and offer clients an entry point for seeking medical care and addiction treatment. Indoor sites also reduce streetbased drug use and improper syringe disposal, seen as a growing problem in the city and an issue that the police are familiar with. In fact, it could be argued that the supervised injection sites would help officers, because it would move some street-based drug use inside. The SFPOA is worried that drug dealers will “set up shop” around any safe injection site, or might be inside the sites. We don’t think that will be an issue, and if it happens, then the whole model of this harm reduction strategy will need to be reassessed. If it is anything like the recent Safer Inside demonstration project that was open for a few days in late August, it will resemble a medical site. In the meantime, the SFPOA is playing on the fears of residents, when it should be working with the mayor and other officials to make these programs as effective as possible. “I have tremendous respect for San Francisco police officers,” gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told us. “But they’re wrong on this.” Police should be one of the backers of the safe injection pilot program. The union’s opposition is shortsighted and combative. It is counterproductive as we wait for Governor Jerry Brown to take action on Assembly Bill 186, which would establish the pilot program for San Francisco. This plan has broad support in the city, it’s time for the police to embrace a new and innovative approach, which is what the SFPOA also stated it wanted to do in its announcement. We are confident that, if Brown signs the bill, city leaders will seek input from the police, as well as others, to see how the pilot program will impact residents. The current situation regarding street drug use is unacceptable. Breed and others should be applauded for their bravery to attempt a radical response to the growing injection drug crisis, and Brown should sign AB 186.t

Everybody’s wrong in NLGJA fiasco by Steve Friess

LGJA: The Association of LGBT Journalists was concluding a lovely annual convention in Palm Springs last weekend when a nice man said a stupid thing and a lot of other presumably nice, reasonable people became angry. Then people who weren’t there and who are also presumably nice and reasonable blasted the apologetic man with a thick coating of social media venom. By the time you read this, that apologetic man might not have a job anymore. To which many of us who watched that sequence of events muttered to one another in the hushed digital corridors of iMessage and Facebook Messenger: There must be a better way to deal with such things. I am a lifetime member of NLGJA. I’ve been a board member, a chapter founder twice, a convention co-chair, and the originator of what became the group’s awards program. I have a Lifetime Achievement Award for my contributions to the organization, which include early advocacy for efforts to welcome more transgender members and the addition of transgender people in our mission statement. And what I am about to say may invalidate all of that because such is the world in which we live: In the case of L’Affair de Marshall, in which longtime NLGJA leader Marshall McPeek attempted to be a ham by welcoming to a soiree “ladies and gentlemen, things and its,” everybody is wrong. Everybody. And yes, even you, pitchfork-wielding trans Twitter. That’s what makes it all so sad. Obviously, McPeek was wrong. According to at least one prominent colleague back in Columbus, Ohio, where McPeek is a weatherman, the “things and its” construction is a dumb gag people there say with no reference to gender identity. That doesn’t make it OK in this context, but it also doesn’t it make it a premeditated act of malicious emceeing or an important insight into McPeek’s views on transgender people. McPeek realized quickly how stupid it was, so within an hour he returned to the room, took the mic, pleaded for everyone’s attention, and delivered what, by all accounts, was a sincere, impassioned apology. Ah, but these days an offensive comment

Courtesy Fox28

Ohio meteorologist Marshall McPeek

circles the globe in less time than it takes for any mitigating information to lace its shoes. The next day, trans Twitter gushed with rage. McPeek had apologized to the people he directly offended, but trans Twitter wanted to know where its apology was, dammit. Because, to quote prominent trans activist Jenny Boylan, “If ever there was a moment that demonstrated what we’re up against, this is it.” Really? People who make stupid remarks and then ask for mercy are “what we’re up against?” Isn’t that exactly how you want something like this to go? Sure, in a world where nobody ever says anything objectionable there would be no need for contrition or mercy, but isn’t the next best thing when an offender accepts his crow and shows he is really, really sorry? Boylan’s identification of McPeek as what trans people are “up against” represents the comic absurdity of this mess because – get this! – McPeek is an LGBTQ pioneer. McPeek, now 49, was openly gay in the early 1990s as a 20-something on-air TV personality. Do you remember how rare and brave that was 25 years ago? And he was not in some big, progressive coastal metropolis; he was in Toledo, Ohio. Like me, he used the NLGJA as a vehicle

for a form of activism compatible with also being a journalist, striving to improve public understanding by ensuring we are covered accurately and fairly. He founded chapters, organized conventions, and served on the board and as an officer. As early as the late 1990s, he was among those advocating to add the word “transgender” to our mission statement. McPeek, who is a longtime acquaintance but not a personal friend of mine, is not a hater or, as Boylan called him, “a garbagemouth fella.” There really are people who do good and also screw upMost of us in fact. They don’t deserve praise for taking responsibility, but they ought to at least fall into a category different than the people who commit acts of physical violence, who wish to drum you out of the military and take away your families, who would have you wear diapers rather than let you use a public restroom. That is why the NLGJA itself has behaved so shamefully here. That merry band of cowards had a chance to both apologize and vouch for McPeek’s integrity and contrition. Instead, after a quarter century of service, their statement distanced the NLGJA from McPeek by referencing him as merely a “volunteer emcee.” As the NLGJA doesn’t pay any of its emcees, everyone’s a volunteer. But McPeek is one of the group’s most generous, selfless leaders. It is thrilling that the transgender community now has enough power and acceptance to make a man like McPeek squirm when he screws up. But this is not what trans people are “up against.” It is, actually, what success looks like. Yes, it is undignified to ever have to contend with being insulted by anyone, much less an ally. But this isn’t a case where you say there are very fine people on both sides and one side turns out to be Nazis. McPeek may lose his job over this. Many transgender people will no doubt reply: “Good! You know how many jobs we never got because of who we are?” That anger is palpable, it is earned, it is justified. And it’s great that other people care about that outrage, because that proves the world is changing. See page 13 >>

Letters >>

Sorry to lose barber shop

September 13-19, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 5

Sorry to see the Viking Barber Shop closed after 54 years in business. It opened in 1964 at 2225 Market Street and was the first gayowned and -operated business in the neighborhood. It moved to 380 Sanchez Street and

was in business there until it closed. It was a fun place for both clients and those of us who worked there. James (Robbie) Robinson San Francisco

Milk club backs gay Fremont council candidate

by Matthew S. Bajko

gay lawyer running for Fremont City Council against a school board member who opposed the teaching of LGBT-inclusive sex education has picked up the support of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. Justin Sha, who graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law this year, is one of five candidates running for the open District 4 council seat in the East Bay city. He entered the race in hopes of ensuring that Yang Shao, currently president of the city’s school board, doesn’t win. As the Bay Area Reporter noted in May, the Fremont Board of Education voted 3-2 to exclude sex education for elementary school students as well as fourth through sixth graders due to objections over the comprehensive sex-ed program. It did approve the curriculum being taught to seventh through ninth grade students. In addition to upsetting LGBT advocates and others supportive of seeing the LGBT sex-ed content be taught to all students, Shao has angered the district’s teachers. Union members have been protesting Shao and forced him to cancel his council campaign kickoff in June. In seeking the progressive Milk club’s endorsement, Sha told the San Francisco-based LGBTQ political group that he has the best chance of defeating Shao than any of the other candidates in the race. “I am running for Fremont City Council, District 4 because the current frontrunner, Yang Shao, would otherwise win if I didn’t,” wrote Sha, who has co-founded three startups, in his response to the Milk club’s questionnaire for candidates. “In contrast, I am a gay Chinese-American who is accessible to all segments of my community. I am running out of necessity, and I am a progressive who can win.” The club also endorsed Fremont school board candidate Dianne Jones. The parent of students in the district, Jones is a straight ally who had pressed the school board to adopt the sex-ed curriculum. She is one of seven people running for two school board seats on the fall ballot.

Milk backs candidates in Berkeley, Oakland

The Milk club Tuesday night held a special meeting in Oakland to interview candidates in a number of East Bay races and then vote on whether to support them. Only those candidates who filled out the club’s questionnaire were eligible to be considered for an endorsement. Sha and Jones were the only Fremont candidates to apply. Berkeley City Councilwoman Kate Harrison secured the club’s endorsement in her race for a second term. Neither of her two challengers for her District 4 seat, Gregory Magofna, a gay man, and Ben Gould, a sustainability analyst for the City and County of San Francisco, sought the club’s support. In the race for the District 8 seat, lesbian City Councilwoman Lori

Jane Philomen Cleland

Fremont City Council candidate Justin Sha spoke at Tuesday’s East Bay Milk club meeting.

Droste did not ask Milk to endorse her re-election bid. Two of her challengers did – Planning Commissioner and attorney Mary Kay Lacey and designer Alfred Twu, who is nonbinary – and the club voted to support Lacey. In the race for the District 7 seat, which is open due to gay City Councilman Kriss Worthington opting not to seek re-election this year, the only candidate to seek, and win, Milk’s support was Rigel Robinson. He is Worthington’s preferred successor and is fending off fellow candidates Cecilia “Ces” Rosales, a lesbian small business owner, and dog walker Aidan Hill, who is nonbinary and attended UC Berkeley. The club also endorsed Igor Tregub in the contest for the council’s District 1 seat. He was the only candidate in the race to seek Milk’s support. In the race for Oakland mayor, the only candidate to seek Milk’s support was Cat Brooks, one of the people challenging Mayor Libby Schaaf this November. A progressive who is an advocate for police reform, Brooks secured the club’s endorsement. Oakland City Councilman Abel Guillén, who identifies as two spirit, had sought Milk’s endorsement of his re-election campaign for his District 2 seat. He is one of two out members on the Oakland council, along with lesbian at-large City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, who is not up for re-election this year. The Milk club, however, decided to endorse Guillén’s challenger Nikki Fortunato Bas, who stepped down last month as executive director of the Partnership for Working Families. The District 2 seat represents the city’s Chinatown, Grand Lake, San Antonio, and Trestle Glen neighborhoods. In the race for the District 4 seat, which is open due to Councilwoman Annie Campbell Washington’s decision not to seek re-election, the Milk club endorsed Sheng Thao, a single mother who is Kaplan’s chief of staff. The only other candidate to seek its support was nonprofit finance professional and documentary filmmaker Pamela Harris, a married lesbian mother who also identifies as bisexual. The Milk club also endorsed

District 6 Councilwoman Desley Brooks in her bid for re-election. Her only opponent to also seek Milk’s endorsement was Maria L. “Marlo” Rodriguez, a lesbian who is a registered nurse. Although Brooks is a controversial leader and beset by legal troubles that have cost Oakland millions of dollars, it is unclear if any of her challengers will defeat her. As the B.A.R. reported last week, Rodriguez is a first-time candidate facing slim chances of winning the race. While she agrees with that assessment, Rodriquez disputes telling the B.A.R. in an interview about her candidacy that she believes Brooks will be re-elected. In an email after last week’s story ran, Rodriquez wrote that, “I do not expect the incumbent to win ... in fact, I am working hard every day until November 6 to make sure that does not happen!”

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Lesbian joins SF aging panel

Martha Knutzen, a longtime LGBT advocate, has joined the San Francisco Aging and Adult Services Commission. The body oversees the Department of Aging and Adult Services, which has worked over the last five years to improve programs for LGBT seniors living in the city. A former co-chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Knutzen spent eight years on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Two years ago she supported a local ballot measure that required the city to enhance funding for services targeted to its older adult population. Knutzen, now retired from her career in legal technology, is married to her partner of 32 years, Fran Kipnis. The couple live in the city’s Civic Center area. Mayor London Breed announced her appointment to the aging commission last week. It is subject to disapproval by the Board of Supervisors. “I have a lifelong commitment to public service and am thrilled to be able to serve San Francisco,” stated Knutzen. “I look forward to working with the staff of the Department of Aging and Adult Services to advocate for model programs that help seniors live a healthy, meaningful and productive life in San Francisco. “ She replaces Gustavo Serina, a gay man who had been serving as the commission’s president and is an arts writer for the B.A.R. under the name Tavo Amador. His last meeting overseeing the body was last Wednesday.t

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http:// www.ebar.com Monday mornings for Political Notes, the notebook’s online companion. This week’s column reported on the candidacy of a lesbian retired lawyer seeking a New Mexico state legislative seat. Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes. Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

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<< Election 2018

6 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

Out candidates vie for Berkeley City Council by Alex Madison

here are five out LGBT candidates in the race for seats on the Berkeley City Council. Lori Droste and Kriss Worthington are currently the only LGBT members on the governing body. Worthington, the city’s first openly gay city councilman, announced in July that he would not run for re-election after serving 22 years, citing the need for new perspectives on the body. Droste, a lesbian who currently holds the District 8 seat, is running for re-election to a second four-year term. She is running against planning commissioner and attorney Mary Kay Lacey, green transportation designer Russ Tilleman, and Alfred Twu, a designer and artist who is nonbinary. Droste, 45, has scooped up endorsements from Equality California, and the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club. According to her website, as a councilwoman she has overseen the creation of a small business subcommittee, secured over $400,000 in traffic calming measures for her district and the city, and authored an initiative that the city now participates in called Vision Zero, a nationwide effort to eliminate pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. When talking with the Bay Area Reporter, Droste said her main priorities are, and will continue to be, finding solutions for the housing and homeless crisis plaguing the city. “In the next four years, I really want to focus on housing affordability,” she told the B.A.R. “I want my children to able to afford to live in Berkeley. I want teachers to be able to live in Berkeley.” In October 2015, the council passed Droste’s Green Affordable Housing Package, which prioritizes housing over underutilized parking spaces in new developments, and streamlines the city’s multiyear process to approve affordable housing projects, something she will continue to work toward. This includes minimizing the permit process for accessory dwelling units and other affordable housing options, she added. “We need to be able to streamline affordable housing legislation and cut several years off of the approval process,” Droste said. “We need it now, not five years from now.” Increasing Berkeley’s affordable housing stock is closely tied to mitigating homelessness, Droste said, in addition to providing prevention and supportive services. Giving evicted tenants first choice in the affordable housing lottery is also a goal of the incumbent. Berkeley’s Mobile Crisis Team, outreach workers for people in distress, is a valuable asset to the city, Droste explained, and she plans to boost its funding and staff. “We need to make sure we can get people off the street and into services,” she said, adding that homelessness disproportionately affects the LGBT community. Her LGBT platform includes the creation of more gender-neutral bathrooms, ensuring trans people have access to city clinics, and expanding Berkley’s Hate Free Zone. In mentioning her vision for economic vitality, she said she recently submitted planning and zoning amendment proposals to the planning commission that make it easier for small businesses to move into ground floor retail spaces. Droste also emphasized her ability to work effectively with other councilmembers, using the Vision Zero initiative as an example. “It speaks to my ability to build a coalition and pass legislation

Jane Philomen Cleland

Berkeley City Council candidate Alfred Twu

Berkeley City Councilwoman Lori Droste is seeking re-election.

that everyone favors and has broad based support,” she said. Droste is the first out lesbian councilwoman in Berkeley. She lives with her wife, Carrie, and their two young children, Simon and Cora, in the city’s Elmwood district. She teaches at Mills College in the public policy department. Her LGBT competitor is firsttime candidate Twu, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns. The 34-year-old candidate’s progressive agenda includes developing more affordable housing, eco-friendly transportation and food options for residents, and well-funded public services. Revising zoning to allow more apartments near transit centers, corner stores, and backyard duplexes are a part of their housing vision for Berkeley. They also support state and local housing bonds and Proposition 10 on the November ballot, which would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act that puts limits on how cities can implement rent control measures. “One of the biggest challenges we are facing in Berkeley is the housing crisis and the general shortage of housing,” Twu said. “The district I am running in is one where almost no housing has been built in the last several years and I’m going to work on changing that.” Reducing negative environmental impacts is also one of their top priorities. If elected, Twu would lead the effort to reduce driving, incentivize mass transit and electric or smaller cars, and introduce legislation to make Berkeley a leader in plant-based and vegan food businesses. Lastly, Twu emphasized responsible funding for the programs and legislation they would implement, explaining that if District 8 were to reinvent how funding is originated and distributed, it could make a larger, positive impact on Berkeley as a whole. “An overarching point to make is that among many of us socialists in the left or progressives, all the things we want: single-payer health care or housing mediation services, there is not a lot of attention as to where funding is going to come from, and I really want to work on that.” An example of this on their website is funding the retrofit of Alta Bates Hospital through the creation of a new housing bonus program with fees dedicated to saving the facility. Being nonbinary has shaped their perspective on politics, Twu said. They see two sides of every issue and want to create a solution that

addresses both. Their identity has also helped shape their platforms, as each disproportionately affects the LGBT community. “Two groups in conflict with one another, both sides have very valid points, and the real solution involves a bit of both,” they said. As an activist, Twu has fought for tenant protections, affordable housing, cooperatives, and expanding the housing supply. They have served on Berkeley’s Zero Waste Commission and has over 12 years of experience designing housing. Currently, they work for an architectural firm and as a freelance designer.

District 7

In District 7, Cecilia “Ces” Rosales, a lesbian small business owner, and nonbinary candidate Aidan Hill are running against straight candidate Rigel Robinson, 22, for the seat held by Worthington, who has endorsed Robinson. Rosales, 69, ran for the council seat eight years ago against Worthington. She is a longtime activist and a refugee from the Philippines when the country was under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. She has lived in the district for almost 20 years and said it needs a councilmember who can represent the interests of students and longtime residents. “This is not a career move for me,” she told the B.A.R. “I’m stepping forward as an activist. When I see a need, I have to step forward and I believe that the district needs a representative to represent Berkeley as a whole.” If elected, she would champion public safety for Berkeley neighborhoods; innovative housing solutions; equity in housing, employment and services; and support environmentally friendly policies and the growth of small businesses. Homelessness is a regional issue, Rosales said, and the solution should reflect that with policies that include other Bay Area cities. “We need the Legislature to step up,” she said. “It’s not acceptable.” The lack of housing development in Berkeley has contributed to the homeless problem, she explained, and she would like to see the City Council pass more housing developments, including co-housing communities. Rosales has owned her own San Francisco nonprofit graphic design company for almost two decades. She also sits on the board of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club, East Bay Women’s Political Alliance, and Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County.

Berkeley City Council candidate Cecilia “Ces” Rosales

Courtesy Twitter

Courtesy Gregory Magofna

Berkeley City Council candidate Aidan Hill

Berkeley City Council candidate Gregory Magofna

As northern vice chair of the California Democratic Party’s Women’s Caucus she advocates for reproductive rights, workers, and immigrant rights. Hill said their candidacy is influenced by their identity as a nonbinary person of color. They strongly emphasized their efforts for the equality of LGBTs, particularly trans people. “It’s time we take gender equity and sexual liberation seriously in this country,” Hill said. “It’s not enough anymore for us to want tolerance. We want justice, full visibility, and acceptance outside as human beings.” One of their main platforms is police reform, something they said disproportionately affects the trans community in Berkeley. They would work to implement city policies and guidelines that help protect trans people and hold police officers accountable for discriminatory behavior. A strong supporter of Berkeley’s sanctuary city law, Hill would encourage city agencies not to work with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and work to increase the rights of undocumented residents. More gender-neutral bathrooms, rights for polyamorous couples, and support for AIDS prevention and care programs, are ways Hill would help advance the rights of the LGBT population. Other top campaign platforms of Hill’s include public housing as a human right and ending hunger in Berkeley. More tiny homes, lowincome housing options, and community spaces are some of their ideas surrounding housing. Hill would like to see UC Berkeley convert the unoccupied chancellor’s residence, University House, into student housing. No development, however, should take place at Berkeley People’s Park because of its historical and cultural significance, they said. The park was created during the radical political activism of the 1960s, including a major confrontation between student protesters and police in 1969. “I want to save the legacy of the free speech movement and People’s Park,” Hill said. If elected, they would focus efforts to lessen hunger, particularly increasing food and water access to low-income residents. Hill was formerly homeless and talked about the correlation between mental health and hunger. A food program in which close-to-expired food would be distributed by a public agency to the homeless and those in

need is a goal of the candidate. Hill is a dog walker and former UC Berkeley student where they studied political science and public policy. They have worked at Planned Parenthood as an action fund student coordinator. Robinson talked briefly with the B.A.R. and said his campaign was going “fantastic.” A self-identified straight ally, Robinson has worked at the state level at the UC Board of Regents advocating for students and recently concluded his role as external affairs vice president of the Associated Students of the University of California. In addition to Worthington, he has been endorsed by Berkeley City Councilmembers Ben Bartlett and Susan Wengraf, and Mayor Jesse Arreguin. “I’ve been fighting to elevate student narratives at every level of government and, today, I’m running for Berkeley City Council because it’s time for students to have a seat at the table,” he wrote in an email.

District 4

Gregory Magofna, a gay man, is running in the District 4 race against incumbent Kate Harrison. The other candidate is Ben Gould, a sustainability analyst for the City and County of San Francisco. Magofna is running to improve the housing situation, reduce climate change, and support the diversity of Berkeley. “Berkeley is at a pivotal point where, rather than reacting and fighting change, we need to think proactively and decide who we want to be as a city in five years, in 10 years, and into the future,” his website states. Magofna did not return a request for comment from the B.A.R. His website states he would support “good growth” policies, including mixed-use development in downtown Berkeley and along transit corridors, the development of accessory dwelling units on private property, and the implementation of policies that would reserve a portion of new affordable housing to Berkeley residents and workers at risk of displacement. Like Rosales, Magofna also promotes options for co-housing and community land trusts as permanent affordable housing options along with reserving 25 percent of new apartment developments for lowand moderate-income households. Reducing traffic by offering more transit choices and incentivizing private and commercial environmentally friendly construction options are among his green-energy use ideas. t

Community News>>

September 13-19, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 7

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ueers joined thousands of others Saturday, September 8, at the Rise for Climate, Jobs and Justice demonstration in San Francisco. The march came ahead of this week’s Global Climate Action

Jane Philomen Cleland

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SFAF honors ‘Pose’s’ Porter

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by David-Elijah Nahmod

slice of “Pose” came to San Francisco last weekend, as Billy Porter, a co-star of the hit FX show, presided over a “walk-off” contest that was a highlight of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Tribute Celebration. Porter, a Tony Award-winning actor, received the Cleve Jones Award at the black-tie affair, held at Pier 27 Saturday, September 8. Jones, a co-founder of SFAF and the award’s namesake, made the presentation. During his acceptance speech, Porter acknowledged his youth, during which he was bullied, and the challenges he faces as a gay AfricanAmerican performer. “God has bigger dreams for you than you have for yourself,” he said. “The more we speak truth to power, the more we tell our stories, the better the world becomes. We’re not going back. I’m done being scared. We survived the AIDS crisis so fuck Trump.” The audience cheered. The after-party began after Porter received his award and he hosted the walk-off contest. Mayor London Breed offered remarks at the gala, and gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said she is a “champion” working to bring a safe injection pilot program to the city. “Mayor Breed has always been there for people in our community and for people with AIDS,” Wiener said as he introduced her. “She is a champion to make sure that San Francisco has safe injection sites. She truly leads and is proactive and strong. She’s an amazing leader.” Breed took to the stage amid thunderous applause. The main thrust of her speech was regarding the need for safe injection sites, which the city does not have, and clean needle exchanges, which SFAF has operated for decades. Supervised injection facilities allow people to use drugs under the watch of medical staff, reducing the risk of overdose deaths. They provide sterile needles, which prevents transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C, and offer clients an entry point for seeking medical care and addiction treatment. Indoor sites also reduce street-based drug use and improper syringe disposal, seen as a growing problem in the city. Assembly Bill 186, which amends state controlled substances laws to allow San Francisco to implement a three-year supervised injection pilot program, is awaiting action by Governor Jerry Brown. The bill, sponsored by lesbian Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), was co-authored by Wiener.

Rick Gerharter

Kryzhtiahn Viscarra, left, competed in the runway walk-off, hosted by “Pose” co-star Billy Porter, right, at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Tribute Celebration, where Porter received the Cleve Jones Award.

“So many people are hesitant to allow people to shoot up inside,” Breed said. “But people are shooting up on our streets and dying. We are in a public health crisis and that’s why I’m leading this fight. Safe injection sites are critical for getting to zero.” The mayor was referring to the city’s ambitious initiative that would see near zero HIV infections, AIDS death, and HIV/AIDS stigma by 2020. SFAF CEO Joe Hollendoner delivered the keynote address. “Despite the AIDS denialism that affected our nation, San Francisco came together and created a model of care that would bring optimism to so many desperate for a future,” he said. “As the San Francisco AIDS Foundation moves toward our fifth decade of service to the community, we remain committed to continuing the legacy of the early responders even though the challenges we confront, although similar, have changed.” Hollendoner noted that the San Francisco Department of Public Health announced last week that there were 221 new HIV diagnoses in the city last year, a 58 percent decline over the past decade. He reiterated the foundation’s commitment to getting to zero new infections. Michael Siever, Ph.D., founder of the Stonewall Project, was recognized with the Community Excellence Award. The Stonewall Project is a family of programs that provides harm reduction-based counseling to gay and trans men who have issues with substance abuse or alcohol. SFAF now operates the program. “Thank you very much,” Siever said as he accepted his award. “It’s amazing to me that it’s been 20 years. The core principles that have always guided me still apply: treat everyone with dignity. These days the message we get from Washington is the opposite, so it’s

extremely important to treat everyone with dignity.” Bank of America received the Corporate Pillar Award. Gioia McCarthy, managing director and division executive for Bank of America’s Northwest Division, talked about the various actions the bank has implemented in support of people living with AIDS, including one of the earliest known workplace HIV/AIDS policies, after employees contracted the virus. That policy later served as a model for the Clinton administration’s guidelines for federal employees. Bank employees first joined SFAF’s board in 1991 and, in 1994, unveiled an AIDS quilt panel of workers who died of the disease. Employees have raised more than $1 million through AIDS/LifeCycle, the annual bicycle fundraiser SFAF and the LA LGBT Center produce. “I’m so pleased to accept this award,” McCarthy said. “I’m so proud that BofA could be on the forefront of creating policy.” The evening raised $478,282, including donations and proceeds from silent and live auctions. Randy Moore, 50, attended the gala with his husband, Greg Peters. He told the Bay Area Reporter that he was delighted by the evening. “We have been active participants in AIDS/LifeCycle for many years and have supported the AIDS foundation and our friends that are board members,” Moore said. “It’s still important to draw focus to a cause that for many people in the world isn’t a hot topic in their personal lives. It’s still an epidemic that needs to be eradicated. The evening was beautiful – recognizing Billy Porter was a beautiful moment and, hopefully, the evening brought a great deal of funding to the foundation.”t

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<< Business News

t Gay-owned plant store helps to green Tenderloin 8 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

by Matthew S. Bajko

rowing up in Redding in northern California, Chai Saechao loved to get his hands dirty in the backyard garden his mother tended. “I was always outside with my mom gardening,” recalled Saechao, 29, who moved to San Francisco eight years ago. This summer he turned his interest in horticulture into a new business pursuit. With the help of his partner of two years, Anthony Stapor, 29, Saechao last month opened Plant Therapy at 687 O’Farrell Street, one block from the couple’s studio apartment. Like their home, which is crammed with scores of plants, the 375 square foot storefront is overflowing with different varieties of succulents, fig trees, calatheas, and other plants particularly suited for urban settings. They range in price from $4 up to $90, with the majority costing between $12 and $22. Most of the plants Saechao carries require low light, once-a-week watering, and are pet-friendly. “A lot of people in the Tenderloin don’t have a lot of light in their apartments,” he noted. Having lived mostly in the neighborhood while in the city, apart from a short stint in the Richmond district, Saechao has learned by trial and error with his own houseplants which ones tend to do better in the Tenderloin’s apartment buildings and how best to care for them. “I didn’t go to school for botany or anything. I bought plants, killed them, learned how to care for them,” said Saechao, who educated himself by reading different books about plants. As the name of his store suggests, Saechao believes caring for plants has therapeutic benefits for people. “I think of gardening as a Zen thing. For me, it is about relaxation,” he explained. “I love coming home to

Plant Therapy owner Chai Saechao stands in front of his Tenderloin store.

my little jungle, tending to my plants with a glass of wine. It is great to come to work everyday and basically do the same thing.” A decade ago Saechao was hired part-time by the coffee company Starbucks and quickly advanced through the ranks to become a store manager. In 2011, he was assigned to the location in the heart of the city’s gay Castro district and managed it for three years. As his 10th anniversary with the company approached, he began to ponder what his next career move would be. One night last year, while talking with Stapor about what he should do next, his partner asked him what made him happy. “Looking around the apartment, he said it was very obvious what you want to do,” recalled Saechao. Without any concrete plans or a signed lease, Saechao put in his two weeks notice and set out to launch his own business. For two years he had walked by the vacant storefront near

THIS IS THE

san francisco

Columbariu M Funeral Home and

formerly the Neptune Society

Rick Gerharter

his house and thought it was a perfect location for a locally owned store. “In San Francisco getting a commercial space I didn’t know was such a big ordeal,” admitted Saechao. “It was very scary every month not knowing if I would get the space or not. Luckily everything worked out. They were very excited to have me as a tenant.” He signed a five-year lease for the space, with an option to renew. It is near the corner of Hyde and O’Farrell at a bus stop for the busy 38-Geary line. The neighborhood has long been a haven for newly arrived immigrants and LGBT people, especially transgender individuals. It also is a magnet for homeless individuals attracted to the numerous social service agencies located there. On certain corners, drug dealing is rampant. Yet, Saechao said he has never had an issue living there and had no qualms about opening a business in the area. “I just see people as they are. As long as you respect people and not treat people like trash, they will respect you back,” he said. He has tailored his business to meet the needs of urban dwellers. For a $12 fee, he will repot plants for customers “who don’t want to get their hands or apartment dirty.”

And when Stapor is not working as a server at the restaurant Cassava, he will load up the couple’s Toyota Corolla and deliver plants anywhere in the city for a charge of $15. Saechao also makes home visits to assess what kinds of plants are most suitable for a client’s location. The $50 consultation fee can be put toward the purchase of plants from his store. Since opening his doors August 1, Saechao has felt embraced by the neighborhood, with longtime residents as well as college students returning for classes popping in. There are few places nearby to buy houseplants, he noted. “A lot of customers have told me the Tenderloin needs something like this,” he said. “No one expects to have a plant store in the Tenderloin. The only way to make the Tenderloin better is to bring nicer things in here. A plant store makes the Tenderloin a little more beautiful.” The shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. To learn more about Plant Therapy, visit its website at www.planttherapysf.com/.

Gay couple refreshes Castro knob store

The new owners of Castro cabinet hardware supplier Bauerware are working to refresh the space and turn it into more of a showroom for local interior designers and homeowners working on DIY projects. Located at 3886 17th Street for 20 years, the store was started by San Francisco-based kitchen and bath designer Lou Ann Bauer. It quickly drew a loyal fan base for its quirky selection of knobs and decorative hardware made by artisans and crafts people. Last year, Bauer put the store up for sale, and in February husbands Jon Knott and Ray Smith closed on purchasing the business. Together 26 years, the couple relocated to the city from London 17 years ago, with Knott working in property management. Smith now manages the store, and Knott assists in its operation. They have been slowly remodeling the space with displays showcasing a selection of hardware from certain

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Honor Roll

For the first time the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals, known as NAGLREP, has released a LGBT+ Top Agent List. According to the group, it marks the first time that LGBT and allied real estate sales professionals have been recognized in such a manner. Landing in the number two spot on the list for individual sales volume was gay Berkeley-based real estate agent Herman Chan with $62 million in sales. He was roughly $8 million short of the number one seller on the list. Chan, who is with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, also came in at number 12 on the list for most transactions, known as sides, at 61. The 11-year-old NAGLREP has more than 2,000 members and is one of the largest LGBT trade organizations in the nation. For the complete list of the top LGBT+ agents, visit https://naglrep. com/blog/2018/08/29/top-lgbtagent-list/ . t Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 8298836 or e-mail m.bajko@ebar.com.

Former SF toxicologist’s settlement moves forward by Alex Madison

We’ve expanded our services and kept the spirit and tradition.

brands, with a full makeover slated to debut in the spring. “We are expanding, if anything, our brands we carry,” said Knott. “We are dedicated to keeping that store going.” The name is staying the same, and the store’s icon will remain that of a gator. The animal has been a visible symbol for the store since it opened. “The gator has changed in form,” explained Knott, adding that, “We are putting the gator front and center in the window.” While many of the more unique knobs the store is known for, such as the heads of animals or insects, are no longer in stock or as in demand as they once were, Bauerware intends to maintain a selection of more fanciful hardware, Knott promised. “Absolutely,” he said. “People love those cat heads.” Bauerware is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more about the store, visit its website at bauerwaresf.com/.

an Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has recommended that a lawsuit filed by a gay man who formerly worked as the city’s chief toxicologist be settled for $100,000. On Tuesday, September 11, the Board of Supervisors voted to assign the settlement agreement to its Government Audit and Oversight Committee, which will hear the matter. As previously reported by the Bay Area Reporter, in February 2017 Nikolas Lemos, Ph.D., filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the city in San Francisco Superior Court, claiming he “begrudgingly resigned” in July 2016 after he was “instructed ... to engage in unlawful activity” by assisting “an unlicensed forensic toxicologist to illegally perform DUI alcohol testing.” That alleged unlicensed toxicologist, Luke Rodda, Ph.D., replaced Lemos in July 2016 after Lemos resigned. Rodda is still serving as chief toxicologist, according to court documents and Rodda’s LinkedIn profile. The suit claims the medical examiner’s office kept Rodda on staff even after it was learned that Rodda didn’t meet the requirements to be certified under Title 17 of California’s Code

Nikolas Lemos, Ph.D.

of Regulations, which addresses DUI analysis. The Office of the Medical Examiner did not respond to the B.A.R. for a request for comment or to confirm that Rodda is a licensed forensic toxicologist. Lemos had worked as the city’s chief toxicologist since October 2003 where he conducted and supervised “testing to determine whether there were drugs or alcohol in victims of sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths, as well as in living people charged with crimes such as sexual assault and driving under the influence,” Lemos’ complaint states. The city hired Rodda in May 2016. The lawsuit claims that after reviewing

materials that Rodda provided that year, Lemos concluded that he “likely did not have the necessary academic and professional credentials to be certified under Title 17,” the complaint says. In the court document, Title 17 is explained as requiring “technicians conducting DUI tests to have various certifications from governing boards and state departments in the areas of forensic toxicology and alcohol analysis,” and that, “Only appropriately educated and certified scientists can conduct forensic alcohol testing on DUI suspects in California.” Lemos said in the filing that he notified Christopher Wirowek, the medical examiner’s deputy director, who told him “not to do the job” of the state certification authorities and ordered him to nominate Rodda for certification anyway. Lemos’ attorney, Robert Nelson, is pleased with Herrera’s recommendation and is hopeful the settlement will be approved by the city. “There are risks and issues on both sides when it comes to employment cases,” Nelson said in a phone interview. “This settlement is a fair recognition from those on both sides, from Lemos and the city.” Nelson also acknowledged that See page 13 >>

National News >>

t Kavanaugh mostly mum on LGBT rights at hearing

September 13-19, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 9

by Lisa Keen

States of America. ...” Booker pressed again and again for Kavanaugh to say what his attitude about same-sex marriage was at that time. But Kavanaugh dodged each inquiry, saying only that there had been “debate” about the issue in the White House but that he could not “recall” what his opinion had been. Asked what his opinion is “now,” Kavanaugh would say only that, “I apply the law. ... The law of the land protects that right, as dictated by the Supreme Court.”

t was the third day of a four-day confirmation hearing for federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh to join the U.S. Supreme Court before a senator really pressed hard for him to account for his commitment to equal rights for LGBT people. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) started off, trying to get Kavanaugh to agree that he wouldn’t fire somebody because of the color of that person’s skin or their gender. “Of course,” Kavanaugh agreed. “Would it be wrong to fire somebody ... if the person is, gay?” asked Booker. Kavanaugh declined to directly answer. “In my workplace, I hire people because of their talents and abilities. ...” The response implied – but did not assert – that sexual orientation would not be a factor for him. Booker pressed on. He asked whether, as a matter of law, Kavanaugh would “have a legal right to fire someone just because they’re gay?” Kavanaugh said, “The scope of employment discrimination laws is being litigated right now and, therefore, while I’d like to talk to you about this more, because that issue is in a variety of cases right now, it’d be inconsistent. ...” Booker interrupted to say that some people have “real concerns that, if you get on the court, folks who are married right now really have a fear they will not be able to continue those marital bonds.” Booker then noted that, in a majority of states, an employer can fire someone for posting a picture on social media that indicates they have a same-sex spouse. He then probed the judge about what personal views Kavanaugh may have expressed about same-sex marriage when he served as staff secretary to President George W. Bush. Bush spoke out in favor of a federal constitutional amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples. Earlier in the day, when Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California)

No answer is no comfort Rudy K. Lawidjaja

Federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified last week at his Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

asked Kavanaugh whether he worked to support Bush’s pro-life agenda, Kavanaugh responded that he “had to assist him in pursuing those policies” and acknowledged that “some of those things might have crossed my desk. I don’t remember specifics.” He gave a similar response on the constitutional amendment: “When I was in the White House, that was ... something that [Bush] talked about.” Booker interrupted him again, asking if Kavanaugh, while on the White House staff, “expressed an opinion” about the constitutional amendment or same-sex marriage. Kavanaugh said that things related to Bush’s remarks on the issue “would have crossed my desk. ...” Noting that many documents related to Kavanaugh’s work in the White House between 2001 and 2006 were being withheld by the Bush archive, Booker pressed again: “Did you ever express your opinions about same-sex marriage?” pressed Booker. “I don’t recall,” said Kavanaugh. “Of course, at that time, as you are well aware, there has been a ... sea change in attitudes in the United

That exchange did nothing to quell concerns in the LGBT community that Kavanaugh is an ultra-conservative, maybe even anti-LGBT, jurist who will almost certainly give the Supreme Court’s existing four conservative justices the crucial fifth vote they need to rule against the equal rights interests of LGBT people. Nor did a similar exchange with Senator Kamala Harris (D-California). She asked repeatedly whether Kavanaugh thinks the decision to strike state bans on marriage for same-sex couples (Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015) was correctly decided. Earlier in the hearing, Kavanaugh did not hesitate to call Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation of public schools, the “greatest moment in Supreme Court history.” Harris echoed that remark, pushing Kavanaugh to express his opinion on Obergefell. But Kavanaugh continued to evade answering Harris’ questions and tried to simply eat up the senator’s limited time by recounting the history of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinions in various LGBTrelated cases. Kavanaugh did paraphrase a significant statement in Kennedy’s opinion in this year’s Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado decision that “the days of discriminating against gay and lesbian Americans, or treating gay and lesbian Americans as inferior in

dignity and worth, are over.” (In his opinion, Kennedy worded it this way: “Our society has come to the recognition that gay persons and gay couples cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior in dignity and worth. For that reason the laws and the Constitution can, and in some instances must, protect them in the exercise of their civil rights.”) “Do you agree with that statement?,” asked Harris. Kavanaugh would not answer the question, stating only that Kennedy’s opinion was precedent. Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, called Kavanaugh’s “refusal to confirm that Obergefell was correctly decided” as “chilling” and said it “poses an unprecedented threat to the liberty and equality of LGBT people.” Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said Kavanaugh’s refusal to answer questions about the Obergefell decision was “alarming.” “If this nominee cannot so much as affirm [Obergefell] or the fundamental equality of LGBTQ people and our families, he should not and must not be granted a lifetime appointment to our nation’s highest court,” said Griffin. An HRC paper on Kavanaugh last month characterized the nominee as a “direct threat to the constitutional rights” of LGBT people and other Americans. “Judge Kavanaugh’s record on reproductive rights, the right to privacy, and religious liberty indicates a potent combination of ideological views that could significantly and unnecessarily reshape constitutional doctrine and nondiscrimination protections as they apply to LGBTQ persons,” said the paper. The paper notes that Kavanaugh has frequently cited the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who led the dissent to Obergefell and many anti-LGBT opinions, as one of his legal heroes. Kavanaugh himself has not participated in an LGBT-specific case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C.

But HRC, like Booker, believes he likely does have a record on LGBT issues from his tenure in Bush’s White House from 2001 to 2006. HRC’s paper on Kavanaugh said “it is reasonable to infer he was involved, given the central function of the White House staff secretary and Kavanaugh’s record of participating in so many of the politically consequential decisions of the Bush campaign and first term.”

Abortion

Papers that have been released from Kavanaugh’s work in the White House have illustrated that his acceptance of Supreme Court precedent in regards to abortion is tenuous. During last week’s confirmation hearing, he told Feinstein that the Supreme Court’s ruling in abortion rights cases is “precedent.” But with the release of some documents from his time in the White House, the public could read that, in 2003, he opined, “I am not sure that all legal scholars refer to Roe as the settled law of the land at the Supreme Court level since court can always overrule its precedent, and three current justices on the court would do so.” One particularly interesting moment during the four-day hearing came when a Republican, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, following on the heels of Booker’s questions, looked into the camera – not at Kavanaugh – and said, “Quite honestly, if firing someone because of their gender identification is immoral ... if anybody even suggested it that’s ever worked in my organization, they’d get fired before the sun set.” “I’ve been very passionate about this issue since 1997, when I set up a gay and lesbian recruiting practice at Price Waterhouse. That is becoming the norm,” said Tillis. But, he added, “It’s on us [presumably referring to Congress] to fix it. It’s not on the judge to determine how we’re gonna get it done.”t

FDA approves new HIV meds by Liz Highleyman

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two new HIV treatment medications containing doravirine, a next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Their developer, Merck, said the drugs should be available in pharmacies within a month. The announcement was made August 30. Pifeltro is a stand-alone doravirine tablet that must be taken with other antiretroviral drugs. Delstrigo is an all-in-one pill containing doravirine plus tenofovir DF and lamivudine (also known as 3TC). Both are taken once daily with or without food. Pifeltro and Delstrigo were approved for adults with HIV who are starting treatment for the first time. Delstrigo is currently also being evaluated as a switch option for people who are already on treatment with undetectable viral load, and both medications are being tested in children and adolescents. “As a result of the remarkable strides made in the fight against HIV, clinicians and their patients have the opportunity to work together to identify treatment regimens that may be best for each individual ... [the] approvals of Delstrigo and Pifeltro provide two new options for the treatment of HIV-1 in appropriate treatment-naive adult patients,” Dr. David Wohl of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one

ONOR A LIFE TOUCHED BY AIDS BY ENGRAVING A NAME IN THE CIRCLE OF FRIENDS In 1996, Congress and the President designated the AIDS Memorial Grove as a national memorial to commemorate all lives touched by AIDS. Located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, it is a place of natural beauty and serenity, and home to the Circle of Friends.

Courtesy of Merck

Delstrigo, an all-in-one pill, was approved for HIV.

of the researchers who tested the new drugs, said in a Merck news release. The approvals are supported by Phase 3 clinical trials showing that both treatments are effective and well tolerated. The DRIVE-FORWARD study included 766 HIV-positive people with no prior treatment experience. They were randomly assigned to take doravirine or boosted darunavir (Prezista), each in combination with tenofovir DF/emtricitabine (Truvada) or abacavir/lamivudine (Epzicom). As Kathleen Squires of Thomas Jefferson University reported at last year’s Conference on Retroviruses See page 13 >>

NATIONAL · A I D S · MEMORIAL G R O V E

The Circle of Friends, engraved in a flagstone terrace, is surrounded by redwood trees and flowering dogwoods. It is a special place - a place ofremembrance. Like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Circle of Friends offers a testament to the individual lives touched by AIDS, making permanent a personal message oflove and loss.

By engraving a name in the Circle of Friends - your own, or that ofsomeone you honor, love, or miss - you tell the world that this global tragedy must never be forgotten, and that lives lost to AIDS will be remembered always.

The deadline to order names to be engraved in the Circle of Friends this year is October 12, 2018. Engravings will occur prior to World AIDS Day, December 1, 2018. For more information, please call 415-765-0446, or visit www.aidsmemorial.org.

<< Community News

t Silicon Valley sees future in young queer techies 10 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

by Heather Cassell

he hallways of Cisco Systems in San Jose were buzzing with excitement and ideas as more than 200 students from 93 different colleges across the United States, and a few international students, networked with each other and senior executives from some of Silicon Valley’s leading technology firms. They were there for the Out for Undergrad Tech Conference. During the three-day conference, September 7-9, LGBTQ students learned important career skills from 132 mentors, as well as how to be themselves when entering the workplace. The conference connected students with executives representing more than 56 companies, including 30 high tech firms such as Accenture, Facebook, Salesforce, Google, PayPal, and VMWare, along with engineering, financial, and apparel businesses seeking future tech leaders.

The goal was not only to find the best and brightest to intern, but also to provide professional and personal support and guidance to the young LGBTQ people about to enter the workforce. Over the course of the conference students learned about how to be authentically themselves while pursuing their career goals and essential skills, from interviewing to navigating their first professional job. “The students are amazing. They are just extraordinary human beings. I love just the privilege of hanging out with them,” said Cindi Love, a 63-year-old lesbian who is the executive director at Out for Undergrad. Love also praised Cisco Systems, the host for this year’s conference. “I have been so impressed with how many employees are here volunteering,” she said. “That’s been really incredible. I’ll never forget it.”

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Heather Cassell

LGBT computer science students from around the country get mentoring by tech leaders at the Out for Undergrad Tech Conference at Cisco Systems in San Jose September 8.

Buttoned up for business

Charlie Johnston, senior vice president of human resources at Cisco, cited studies that found 53 percent of LGBT employees across the United States “hide who they are in the workplace,” he told the students September 8. Being closeted in the workplace isn’t limited to older generations. In a separate study, Johnston discovered that 62 percent of millennial LGBT graduates go back into the closet when they go into their first job, he said. “A lot of the statistics Charlie cited were things that I completely related with,” said Celine Cuevas, a 25-year-old lesbian who was the volunteer conference lead for the tech conference and a product manager who recently left Redfin for tech startup Juvo. Coming out in the workplace “was something that even I struggled with,” she said. It didn’t matter that she had been out since she was 14 years old and was a leader in LGBT organizations in high school and college. “During my first internship I felt kind of weird about outing myself because I didn’t understand how to do this tactfully,” she said. Another study Johnston cited showed that 81 percent of nonLGBT respondents feel that LGBT co-workers should be who they are when they come to work. Yet, that’s not always the reality in the real world. Four years ago, a study by Equal Rights Center and Freedom to Work found that resumes that clued potential employers that a candidate was LGBT received fewer responses than the applicant that didn’t indicate any affiliation with the gay community. Openly LGBT interviewees were 23 percent less likely to get an interview than their less qualified heterosexual counterparts, the study found. Keynote speaker February Keen, a 40-year-old queer tech manager, gave LGBT tech students hard-earned advice from the stage about navigating the workplace and their careers. She advised the students to live and work in an area with more than two companies to leverage being able to get out of harmful work environments, should they occur. She gave examples of what toxic situations look like and how people can grow into their own self-worth. Keen stressed the importance of employees knowing their rights and using the right language and providing details when reporting issues to managers and human resources. She advised how not to get into the “loyalty trap” by allowing someone’s career to be hindered because they liked their co-workers, bosses, and knowing when it’s time to leave a company. “Take care of your career first,” she said.

The company

Knowing that a company embraces its LGBT employees is a big step. “These companies, they want you and they want you to embrace your full and authentic self – including your LGBTQ identity,” said Cuevas. “It makes you feel a lot better being in technology and being underrepresented,” said Alexis Lake, a 21-year-old black UI/UX major going into her senior year at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, about the impact of the conference. “You realize there are still people here who are just like you – they are here to help you; they want you to grow.” David Aguilar, 21, a queer student whose family emigrated from El Salvador when he was a child, said, “It’s been really nice to have a high concentration of likeminded individuals in one place.” Aguilar is in their senior year studying business administration with a focus on technology at UC Berkeley. Aguilar particularly appreciated hearing other people’s stories and “learning from them and getting their advice on issues that I thought were just my own, but actually were something that were pretty common.” Out for Undergrad, founded in 2004, connects queer college students with out LGBT business leaders in Fortune 50, 100, and 500 companies through four different conferences, like the recent one at Cisco. More than 1,000 students apply to attend one of the four all-expense-paid conferences centered on business, technology, engineering, and marketing every year, said Love. Love is the organization’s only full-time employee and oversees the little more than $1 million raised this year to bring the students and corporate leaders together, not including her salary. The 800 students in this year’s Out for Undergrad class get the connections and support needed to prepare them to enter the workforce. Increasing “beyond LGBTQ diversity” at the conference was front and center this year, Cuevas said. “That was something that was really important to me this year, and I think it will continue both in regard to our admissions and sourcing of students and the programming,” she said. Many of the students participating in the program are also first-generation college students and many are from ethnically- and gender-diverse backgrounds, organizers noted. “We want to help you to achieve your full potential,” said Cuevas. “Let’s prepare you in both ways. Let’s prepare you for how to be

your authentic full-self and also how to ... put your best foot forward with regards to your experience and your skills so you can really shine.” “These are extraordinary individuals,” added Love. “It’s a highly qualified segment of people. We are putting these amazing human beings in connection with these companies where they can have such an extraordinary impact.”

Companies taking the diversity lead

Workplace studies in recent years have indicated that companies with diverse workforces and cultures that support inclusion are more likely to have financial returns that are above their national industry medians, business leaders continue to point out. Love said the trend for diversity and inclusion has moved out of its siloed departments and programs into the echelon of executives and board members. She believes openly gay corporate CEOs have made a great impact on the students, but couldn’t stress enough the importance of allies. “They see themselves now,” said Love, noting gay Apple CEO Tim Cook’s impact. “They know Tim Cook’s story.” People see these “tech leaders, the CEOs of these companies, and the chairs of these companies, taking public stands on behalf of LGBT people,” Love said, pointing to Salesforce taking the lead on North Carolina’s so-called bathroom bill HB2. The company also pulled its conference out of Indiana after the state’s former governor, and now vice president, Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. Love also recognizes that increasing numbers of women in tech and how it parallels with increasing numbers of LGBT people in tech. “These are sort of parallel tracks, as you see women advancing in a particular field, we tend to see LGBTQ advancing in the field,” she said, “because it’s a simultaneous track. “I think that it’s going to open up an enormous opportunity for nonbinary and lesbian identified individuals in tech,” Love said. Cuevas pointed to an oversight in Facebook’s photo recognition algorithm that couldn’t distinguish between people of different races. The social media platform is used by billions of people. “This is why it’s especially important that there is diversity ... otherwise you end up with a single point of view and it shows in the products that are built,” said Cuevas. t

Sports >>

September 13-19, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 11

The Kaepernick effect by Roger Brigham

hink we live in confusing times, when even the term “United States” suddenly seems oxymoronic? Consider this: a sneaker manufacturer long dogged by accusations of abusive labor practices decides to pay a few million dollars to an out-ofwork athlete (who is suing the National Football League for conspiring to keep him unemployed), using the player to make an advertisement that mentions nothing political or provocative but encourages people to be ambitious and chase their dreams, all of which have historically been values America has prided itself on – and in the wake of that advertisement, a ban on the company’s products is called for, universities consider dropping their Nike contracts, the ads are called anti-American ... and the company’s already industry-dominating sales rise even more. Parse that bit of capitalism during your next beer break at halftime. Last week during a television broadcast of the season opening NFL game, swooshmeister Nike aired a commercial in which former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s voiceover of a diversity of athletes pushing themselves to overcome incredible adversity urges people to chase their dreams no matter how crazy others say they are. As part of the same ad campaign, Nike published a

Courtesy Nike

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the new face of Nike.

still close-up of Kaepernick’s face (it’s so close up that for a split second I thought it was the face of Al Pacino in “Serpico”) with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” No mention of Kaepernick’s well publicized protest of kneeling during the playing of the United States’ national anthem two years ago. No mention of the racial injustices or violence against African-Americans that were the target of Kaepernick’s protest – or that on the advice of a military veteran and fellow football player, Kaepernick had adopted kneeling in place of sitting because he did not wish people to think he was being disrespectful but

instead was signaling an ongoing state of distress. No mention of the dozens of fellow athletes who have joined the protests. No mention of the Trumpian backlash on Twitter and at political rallies for the taxpayer-paid vice presidential visit to a football game with the sole purpose of walking out in protest of the protest. No mention of Kaepernick’s lawsuit charging the NFL teams of colluding to prevent his continued football employment despite his being a proven highly qualified talent at quarterback in a league aching for qualified quarterbacks. Just an admonition for individuals to believe in themselves and dedicate themselves to excellence – the values

most of us have always thought were some of the things that made America exceptional. Negative backlash has been swift and predictable. Almost instantly the internet was inundated with videos of people burning their Nike gear in a form of counterprotest. They were swiftly followed by calls suggesting that people who want to burn their Nikes because they think Kaepernick and the entire anthem protests are disrespectful to the military should instead donate that gear to homeless veterans, and other cheeky calls suggesting they burn their Ford cars and trucks since Ford Motor Co., an NFL sponsor, has been supportive of the players’ protests. Largely baseless and speculative rumors flew around the web that major universities would drop their Nike contracts, but as of this writing only Division II College of the Ozarks said it was banning Nike gear and Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University said it was considering its options. In Louisiana, the mayor of Kenner, population of about 67,000, grabbed his 15 minutes of fame by telling his staff he was banning Nike equipment. “Under no circumstances will any Nike product or product with the Nike logo be purchased for use or delivery

at any city of Kenner recreation facility,” Mayor Ben Zahn wrote in a staff memo. His attempt to ban the equipment was immediately challenged by members of the city council. Historically, sales of Nike equipment and sports equipment from other manufacturers fall off around Labor Day weekend and then bound back. Edison Trends reports that last year, Nike’s rebound resulted in a 17 percent growth and sales. This year, with the ad and the fires and the videos and the tweets and the epithets? A 31 percent jump. What’s it all mean? It means that we all still have a long way to go before we can get past the protests and counterprotests, past what we might perceive as the disrespect to servicemen and symbols and what the protesters say the protests are about, which is about making America the more just union we all are supposed to want and enjoy. I know, I know, the dream sounds crazy, virtually impossible to achieve. Then again, this country was built on commitments to crazy dreams. Wouldn’t it be great if we again committed to the crazy dream of working together for, in the words of the Pledge of Allegiance, one nation, “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”? Now, how ‘bout them Niners!t

We are the authors of our lives by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

ne of the most important things for a trans person is their identity. We live in a world that is constantly, doggedly, trying to strip that away from us. We face pressure over this throughout our lives – and often end up losing that battle after death. In 1993, a transgender woman by the name of Lauren Diana Wilson took her life. Her family claimed her body, and later held a funeral. From everything I was able to learn about it, she was buried in male clothing, with her hair clipped. Her parents listed her as male and under her birth name – known in trans circles as one’s deadname. They kept the event private, so that no one in her life could attend. Those of us who were her friends held our own memorial, and still do not know where Wilson was laid to rest by a family that did not care for

Christine Smith

the person she became. I wish I could say that Wilson’s story is an uncommon one, but I have heard all-too-many tales of trans people buried by families under birth names and dressed in attire matching

their birth gender. There’s also the even bigger issue of newspapers and police reports stripping away the identity of the deceased under the guise of “accuracy.” I recently attended a panel discussion at the NLGJA: The Association of LGBT Journalists’ conference in Palm Springs about transgender people, our deadnames – that is, the name we were given at birth and may have long since given up – and obituaries. The panel revealed some of the biases within the nature of obituaries and other reporting on transgender people’s deaths. So often, when a newspaper tells the story of a transgender person after they die, they rely on police reports and immediate family to provide details of a person’s life. As you can imagine from the example of Wilson, the story of a trans person’s life can be stripped away, with our lived

Obituaries >>

experiences and preferences erased by those who may not have had our best interests in mind. Likewise, police reports may be only going by available resources: a piece of legal ID, a set of fingerprints, and so on. Reporters may not be privy to the whole story of a transgender person when they report on their passing. This is especially true in the more violent stories that permeate trans society. When one relies on identity paperwork, one doesn’t get a complete story. Many trans people have not been able to change legal paperwork. It can be a costly process, and some localities don’t allow a complete change no matter the price.

One of the more intriguing – and frustrating – parts of the overall discussion was the issue of accuracy. That is, if one is telling a complete story of a person’s life, should one feel the need to delve into a deadname as well as a gender identity long since dropped? To me, it becomes an issue of accuracy versus truth. It may indeed be accurate, for example, to include the name I was born under, answered to, and used on legal documents until I was in my early 20s – but this isn’t exactly my truth. That surely isn’t me, and isn’t my identity now. It’s not the person who pens these words, or has See page 13 >>

DISPLAY OBITUARIES & IN MEMORIAMS

Richard Patrick Kronstedt

James Leonard Manges Jr.

September 19, 1949 – August 24, 2018

June 21, 1958 – August 30, 2018

Richard Patrick Kronstedt passed away August 24, 2018, at his home in San Francisco. He died of complications from liver surgery, followed by a heart attack. He was 68. Richard was born September 19, 1949 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He graduated from Pacific Union High School in San Leandro in 1967. He also attended St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California. Richard worked for many years as an accountant for both advertising agencies and insurance companies. Richard celebrated 39 years of sobriety and was very active in the AA community. A man of great generosity and compassion, he sponsored many people seeking sobriety and was always available to those looking to change their lives for the better. Richard is survived by his longtime partner, Daniel Lambert; his loving sister and brother-in-law, Judy and Greg Phelan; two brothers, Ben Kronstedt and Chuck Kronstedt; and a third loving brother and sister-inlaw, Marcia and Jack Kronstedt. He also had many nieces and one nephew. A memorial will be held Saturday, September 29, at 11 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 100 Diamond Street in San Francisco.

James Leonard Manges Jr. of San Francisco, formerly of Donora, Pennsylvania, passed away Thursday, August 30, 2018, after a lengthy illness at Maitri Compassionate Care, surrounded by an abundance of loving and caring friends. Born on June 21, 1958 in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, Jim was the son of James L. Manges Sr. and Grace M. (Mendarino) Manges. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Pauline Manges, and Carl and Josephine Mendarino. Jim attended high school at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he was a 1976 graduate of the former U.S. Capital Page School of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was senior class president and was awarded the prestigious role of being the personal page for then-Speaker of the House Carl Albert. Jim had the honor of delivering his senior class commencement speech in the White House Rose Garden. He was a 1981 graduate of Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in government.

In the mid-1980s, Jim relocated to San Francisco for a paralegal career at a bankruptcy law firm. Upon retirement he became a professional bartender at the Cinch Saloon where he developed wonderful friendships with individuals that became his second family. Jim was well known around San Francisco as a faithful Pittsburgh Steelers fan, always sporting Steelers black and gold attire. Oftentimes folks would beckon, “Hey Pittsburgh!” as he walked down the street. A true foodie nicknamed “Sir Lunch-A-Lot,” Jim enjoyed gourmet cooking and loved to dine in numerous restaurants. His passion for food led to him developing a personal friendship with world-renowned chef Julia Child, spending time cooking with her at her California home. He loved to travel, and visited many countries, and would vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico twice a year. In addition to his parents, Jim is survived by his sister, Linda (Mark) Williams, of Monessen; brother Ron (Shari) Manges of O’Hara Township, Pennsylvania; brother, Tom (Renee) Manges of Donora; nieces Marla, Brittany, Bethany, Paige; nephews Kellen and Noah; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Donations in memory of Jim can be made in his honor to Maitri Compassionate Care, 401 Duboce Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94117 or www.maitrisf.org.

The Bay Area Reporter can help members of the community reach more than 120,000 LGBT area residents each week with their display of Obituary* & In Memoriam messages.

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<< Community News

12 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

News Briefs

From page 2

voted down the measure. The No on 6 campaign was the first to succeed in stopping anti-gay forces in the voting booth. Curated by Susan Englander, Paula Lichtenberg, and Glenne McElhinney, all veterans of the No on 6 campaign, the exhibition includes flyers, posters, buttons, videos, and other scarce materials from the archives of the GLBT Historical Society and the San Francisco History Center of the San Francisco Public Library. An opening reception takes place Friday, September 14, beginning at 7 p.m. The exhibition runs through January 20.

Oakland Pride

From page 1

“It is just this love fest of amazing, vibrant people,” said Oakland resident Kristin Stangl, who came with her church, First Presbyterian of Oakland. She warmly welcomed festival attendees to her booth for temporary rainbow tattoos and welcoming and affirming handouts. “We are just here to share the message that God is love, and Christianity does not have to be homophobic. We want people to feel loved and welcomed,” said Stangl. “We want to celebrate the wonderful diversity of creation and for people to realize that they are safe and welcome in their love.” First Presbyterian was not the only religious community in attendance, as the festival and parade saw multiple spiritual and religious organizations, including Plymouth United Church of Christ, dubbed the Jazz and Justice Church. These communities highlighted the diverse perspectives present in the East Bay, showing a sense of an established acceptance for the queer community. Candy Martinez of the East Bay Meditation Center, which dedicates its work to creating space for traditionally marginalized communities, invited Pride attendees to her booth for wash-off tattoos. An Oakland local for 23 years, Martinez experienced her first Oakland Pride Sunday. “I feel like many people do not have the opportunities to live their lives out. They come to SF Pride for that experience from all over the world, whereas Oakland Pride is more of a reflection of our local community,” said Martinez. Oakland’s acceptance of the LGBTQ community was prevalent, but its community demonstrated other aspects of its distinct culture at its Pride celebration. Vegan milkshakes, an LGBTQ entrepreneurial networking booth, psychedelic paintings, and queerinspired clothing booths were just some of the community’s reflections one could run into at Oakland Pride. “Oakland Pride, specifically, is becoming more of a destination. It

Supe Stefani

From page 1

is another issue that Stefani’s family has personally dealt with. One of her sisters is marking nearly a decade being sober, while her brother is battling his own heroin and meth addiction. Their father, who is divorced from their mother, is helping to raise two of his grandsons as the broker seeks help. “It doesn’t discriminate, it hits everybody,” said Stefani. It is partly why she is supportive of seeing the city open safe injection sites as long as they provide substance abuse services and other support to users of the facilities. “I would only support these sites not to only facilitate someone’s drug abuse but to help them get better,” said Stefani, who is not opposed to having one open in her district if the right location were found.

Art for Life auction

Face to Face’s annual Art for Life, the longest-running art auction to end HIV in Sonoma County, will take place Saturday, September 15, from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Sebastopol Center For the Arts, 282 South High Street in Sebastopol. Attendees can bid on more than 200 works of art that include paintings, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, and glass donated by Sonoma County artists. What began in 1988 in response to the AIDS epidemic in Sonoma County has grown to a much-anticipated annual art event to benefit care services for the more than 600 men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-for-life-benefitingf2f-tickets-47243465477.

Constitution Day conference

San Francisco State University Professor Marc Stein will hold his annual Constitution Day conference Tuesday, September 18, from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. at Jack Adams Hall in the Cesar Chavez Student Center on campus, 1600 Holloway Avenue. Stein, a gay man and the Jamie and Phyllis Pasker Professor of History at the university, said that this year he will present a lecture focusing on the legal struggles to establish LGBT student groups on campuses across the U.S. in the 1970s. The event is free and open to the public.

Legal clinic at LGBT center

Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom and the LGBT community center will hold a free legal clinic Saturday,

September 22, beginning at 10 a.m. at the center, 1800 Market Street. The clinic is intended for community members needing pro bono legal advice, options, and an understanding of laws related to the following: family law, immigration law, employment law, health care law, wills and trusts, and name and gender change documents. Advance registration is strongly encouraged, as appointments will be filled on a first come, first served basis. To sign up, visit https://legalclinicsept2018.eventbrite.com.

Openhouse, On Lok partner for LGBTQ seniors

Openhouse and On Lok, two San Francisco-based nonprofits, last week announced a strategic partnership to co-design a program for LGBTQ seniors to address access to aging services

and the fear that life in a nursing home would drive most back into the closet. A study by the National Senior Citizens Law Center revealed that a majority of LGBTQ seniors felt it would be unsafe to be out in a care facility and that staff and other residents would discriminate against them. Forty-three percent reported personally witnessing or knowing LGBTQ individuals who experienced instances of mistreatment. Karen Skultety, Ph.D., executive director of Openhouse, and Grace Li, CEO of On Lok, said in a news release that the risks are even higher for trans seniors. Denial of care is common, and many report thoughts of ending their lives rather than moving into long-term care. The program is expected to begin next summer.t

is another opportunity to come together and have a celebration, not that we need an excuse or permission but festival-wise, I believe Oakland Pride is local and organic,” said Martinez. Oakland Pride’s local feel offered attendees a chance to connect to their community. One could show up at the start of the parade, walk to its end six blocks later, and experience the festival’s offerings within a few hours. “As a severe introvert, I love that I can come here, feel fully present, and have this wonderful experience,” Stangl said. “I see all these uniquely Oakland people, and I feel connected to my community. There is this chill vibe that there is room for everyone at the table in Oakland. No matter how weird or whacky, we will shrug our shoulders and make room for it.”

Pride breakfast

At the East Bay Stonewall’s sixth annual breakfast, political leaders and candidates worked the room at the Rotunda Building, exchanging greetings and soliciting support. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (DOakland) exhorted those in attendance to vote in November. “Your vote, your power, is the only thing,” Lee, who was wearing “Stay Woke” earrings, said. “We’re at a defining moment in this country.” Lee said she sat through some of last week’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, which was a “nightmare.” “This is the first week we’re back in session and let me tell you, it’s good to be home,” Lee said, adding that the Trump administration is “chipping away” at rights “and trying to undermine our freedom.” “They are trying to rebrand hate as religious freedom,” she added. New club President Nick Resnick, a trans man, led several audience members in a warm tribute to former president Brendalynn Goodall, who was a Pride parade grand marshal and now serves as the club’s vice president. “One thing you’ve earned, in the words of Aretha, is r-e-s-p-e-c-t,” Michael Colbruno, a longtime club official and Oakland Port commissioner,

Campaign

Stefani, who for the last two years had served as San Francisco’s county clerk, lives with her husband and their two children in Cow Hollow. She is running this November for a full, fouryear term on the Board of Supervisors. Formerly a deputy district attorney in Contra Costa County, Stefani is fending off two challengers: BART board director Nick Josefowitz and Schuyler Hudak, who serves on the board overseeing the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Schuyler is a renter in the Marina who is founder and CEO of news company Cor Media. Josefowitz, who lives with his wife and their twin sons in Pacific Heights, started his own solar company and holds stocks in a number of companies, including Lyft, Groupon, and Joyable, according to his financial disclosures he reported to BART.

Jane Philomen Cleland

Legacies of the Pacific’s Polynesian dancers were a crowd-pleaser at Oakland Pride.

said to Goodall. Other speakers thanked Goodall for her years of leadership and pointed out she was instrumental in getting the Pride breakfast started six years ago. Honorees included Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski, who served as the club president decades ago and received the Trailblazer Award. She is the first openly trans person to serve as a trial judge in the U.S., and the first out trans person to be elected to a judgeship. “I didn’t set out to be a trailblazer,” she said. “When the path ran out, I was too stubborn to stop.” Ola Osaze, a trans masculine queer person who was born in Nigeria, received the Community Champion Award. He said that voices like his, and other queer migrants, have “too long been ignored.” Alyah Baker was the recipient of the club’s LGBTQQI Small Business Award. She runs Qulture Collective, a multifaceted community space and creative hub for queer and trans folks. “It’s very hard right now” to own a small business in the city, she said, adding that she just launched www. They both argue that Stefani represents more of the same, entrenched leadership at City Hall and that it is time to elect a new representative for the district. It was a theme the two candidates repeatedly made during a recent debate sponsored by the United Democratic Club. (Its members voted to support Josefowitz as their number one choice in the race and Stefani as their number two. Under the city’s ranked choice voting system, voters can rank up to three candidates in order on their ballot.) The city is suffering from a “lack of ideas, lack of will, and lack of leadership,” said Schuyler, who disclosed she was sexually assaulted in 2016 in Pacific Heights.“I am running because I believe San Francisco deserves so much better.” Josefowitz spoke of how someone broke into his family’s home, stole a computer and camera, and left behind drug paraphernalia. Although the

Jane Philomen Cleland

Honorees and board members of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club joined together at the Pride breakfast.

keepoaklandqueer.com in an effort to solicit donations. Jeremy Laurin, an employee with PG&E, accepted the LGBTQQI Ally Award on behalf of the utility company. Laurin is president of the company’s Pride Network. “This award means a lot to us,” he said, adding that as a cis gay man, he sees himself as an ally to his trans

colleagues and the community. “Love is in the air,” he said. State Senator Nancy Skinner (DBerkeley) also received an LGBTQQI Ally Award, but she was traveling and unable to attend. t

police showed up, he said they never followed up about the break-in. “We can’t just vote for the status quo,” argued Josefowitz. “For too long we have been moving in the wrong direction. It is time for a change.” While Stefani acknowledges she is well informed about the workings of City Hall, she also argues she is a fresh face in terms of serving on the board. “I have been able to hit the ground running,” she told the B.A.R. “I know my district very well, I know the people, and I know the issues.” While none of the candidates were able to secure an endorsement from the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the more moderate Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club endorsed Stefani. Newly elected gay District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, running himself for a full four-year term on the fall ballot, also supports his board colleague in the race.

“She has a reputation for collegiality and a willingness to work with everyone that I think is true and I really value,” said Mandelman, noting how Stefani has been a fierce advocate, in particular, for gun control regulations. “For District 2, she is a terrific choice.” Stefani is confident she will have better electoral success than the string of Lee’s board appointees in recent years who were ousted by voters. Unlike those supervisorial picks, Stefani noted she was appointed by a different mayor and had served as a supervisorial aide. It was, she added, true of the only supervisor appointed by Lee who won their bid to retain their seat, District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang. “We know the job and are less likely to step on a land mine,” said Stefani, who was trained on how to be a successful candidate by Emerge, which works to elect women to public office. t

Cynthia Laird, who’s the wife of Victoria Kolakowski, contributed reporting.

t <<

Community News>>

Egg case

From page 1

Alerted by neighbors

A headless torso was found in a large aquarium in Egg’s house August 14. Police discovered the fish tank hidden in the home after searching the house for four days. Neighbors had alerted them after a private crime scene cleanup company showed up at the house. Police say that Lance Silva, 39, had used Egg’s credit card to pay for the service. Silva and a man who met the cleanup crew at the house, Robert McCaffrey, 52, were arrested for homicide but the district attorney’s

HIV meds

From page 9

and Opportunistic Infections, after 48 weeks on treatment, 84 percent of people taking doravirine, and 80 percent of those taking darunavir, had undetectable viral load, showing that doravirine was non-inferior. The DRIVE-AHEAD study included 728 previously untreated people who were assigned to take either the Delstrigo pill or the Atripla combo pill containing efavirenz, tenofovir DF, and emtricitabine. At the International AIDS Society

Settlement

From page 8

Lemos feels comfortable in settling the case because he believes the city has taken steps to ensure that nothing “inappropriate” has happened, referring to Rodda’s job duties and correlating

Guest Opinion

From page 4

Still, this is a dangerous slope. Trust me, your turn may come. Only the most arrogant among us can deny

Transmissions

From page 11

been under this name and gender for the more than half of this life. I know it becomes all the more convoluted when a transgender person is also someone notable. I’m sure that a certain Olympian who was the subject of a very public gender transition will have her deadname added to every single obituary the day she passes – all the while knowing that many other

September 13-19, 2018 • BAY AREA REPORTER • 13

office dropped the charges pending further investigation. McCaffrey was freed but Silva was kept on a parole hold out of Alameda County. Police say that officers stopped by Egg’s house twice in late July after getting calls from concerned neighbors. Officers knocked on the door but left after no one answered. Police say that officers went to the home for a third time August 7 after Egg’s sister filed a missing persons report. Again, they knocked on the door and left after no one answered. Neighbors said they noticed frenetic cleaning in the home after those police checks. Two neighbors told the B.A.R. that they could see

soapsuds leaking from the front of the house and that the front door was freshly painted. They believe someone was trying to clean up evidence. Egg’s brother, Devon Egg, told the B.A.R., that sometime in June or July, he phoned his brother and an answering machine picked up. His brother had never owned an answering machine and the voice was not his brother’s. He called back and a stranger answered. The man said that his brother was walking the dog and that he would call him back in a few minutes but no one called back. Police said that Egg was last seen in late May or early June. Neighbors

say he and his dog, Lucky, were fixtures in the neighborhood. He could often be seen cleaning the stretch of Clara Street, near Fifth and Harrison streets, where he lived for more than 40 years. Neighbors said he was a regular at St. Anthony’s Dining Room in the Tenderloin and often invited homeless people he met there to stay with him. Egg’s longtime friend and neighbor, Scot Free, helped rally concerned neighbors through a posting on Nextdoor August 2. Egg’s niece, Rachel Egg, posted a photo of Egg with his dog to further assist with helping to find her uncle. After the discovery of human

remains in his home, several neighbors, as well as B.A.R. readers, asked what happened to the dog. The pet survived the ordeal and is in good condition, according to a neighbor who also volunteers at San Francisco Animal Care and Control. Pauline Le posted on Nextdoor: “Hi Everyone, I am at ACC right now and everyone has been really helpful. Lucky is in their care and is safe and is part of an investigation, so they can’t comment anymore on this. They appreciate everyone’s concerns. YAY, and what a relief!!” Animal Care and Control did not respond to numerous phone calls and emails from the B.A.R. t

Conference on HIV Science last July, Squires reported that 84 percent of people taking Delstrigo and 81 percent of those taking Atripla had viral suppression at 48 weeks, again showing that doravirine was non-inferior. The two treatments worked about equally well regardless of baseline viral load. All the regimens were generally safe and well tolerated. However, DRIVE-AHEAD participants who took Delstrigo had fewer neuropsychiatric side effects such as dizziness, sleep problems, abnormal dreams, or altered cognition, and

they were about half as likely to stop treatment due to adverse events. In both studies, people taking Pifeltro or Delstrigo saw small declines in their cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while those taking darunavir or Atripla had small increases. The tenofovir DF in Delstrigo can cause kidney impairment and bone loss in susceptible individuals. For this reason, kidney function should be checked before starting the combo and monitored regularly while using it, researchers said. An updated formulation of tenofovir that’s less likely to cause kidney

and bone problems (tenofovir alafenamide or TAF) remains under patent by Gilead Sciences and is unavailable for use in other companies’ combination pills. “I think its utility would be better if the drug companies got together and talked, and TAF could be put together with doravirine,” Dr. Monica Gandhi of UCSF told the Bay Area Reporter at the IAS conference. Because tenofovir is also active against hepatitis B, the Delstrigo label includes a warning about worsening liver inflammation if people coinfected with both HIV and hepatitis B

virus stop taking the medication. Merck set the price for Pifeltro, for use with other antiretrovirals, at about $1,400 per month. Delstrigo, a complete regimen, will cost about $2,100 per month. This is in line with the cost of other single-tablet HIV regimens including Gilead’s Genvoya and Biktarvy and ViiV Healthcare’s Triumeq. Merck said it would include the new medications in its patient assistance program and the company is working to obtain access for people covered by Medicaid, Medicare, and the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. t

certifications and qualifications. “At this point given the passage of time and to the best of our understanding and steps taken, nothing inappropriate has happened.”, Nelson said. When the lawsuit first came to light, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi expressed concern about test

results from the toxicology lab at the medical examiner’s office, telling District Attorney George Gascón last year that he’s “very concerned” that the lab isn’t complying with state regulations. Adachi and the San Francisco Public Defender’s office did not respond to comment from the B.A.R.

Adachi said in a follow-up email sent to the B.A.R. last year that Chief Assistant District Attorney Sharon Woo called him and said that because “the chief toxicologist did not do any of the testing himself there is no reason to question what may have happened or the integrity of the testing.”

Alex Bastian, a spokesman for Gascón, previously told the B.A.R. that “Dr. Rodda has not tested nor attested to any Title 17 DUI cases, and it appears as though the lab is in compliance with Title 17.”t

that. There may be a moment when you say something that comes out wrong in exactly the wrong time or place. Every human being can do it; no human is pure of heart, lacking in the potential for bad taste. When that happens, you’ll want to

show the world what is in your heart. You’ll want to be more than that one dreadful mistake. If you’re smart and mean well, you’ll see that the best you can do is apologize as quickly and as sincerely as possible. But if you’re unlucky, as McPeek

clearly is, you’ll find that nobody cares. Those with the inability to forgive and accept, to listen and to teach, won’t be making the world any safer or better for the offended, the insulted or the oppressed. No, they’ll take a bad situation and

use it, ironically and perhaps unintentionally, to make the world a little bit crueler. t

celebrities do not see their non-stage names presented in the same way. Of course, I am mindful that an obituary – indeed much of what happens after one shuffles off their mortal coil – is no longer for the husk of a body left behind, but for those who survive. An obituary is a way to reach out to friends and family, and announce the passing of someone that all these people cared about. In this discussion of obituaries, an argument was put forth: how should someone

who knew me in high school know that I passed, given the name in the yearbook is so very different from the one I wear now? To me, that’s largely irrelevant for one big reason: those who knew me then – and who I still may maintain at least a nodding acquaintance – are aware of my transition, and know who I am now. Those who somehow missed the memo are not likely to be the people I would care to know about me alive or dead: that bully from

freshman year who is now spending time in San Quentin State Prison, for example. I’m not sure there’s a complete answer, but I do know that if someone was to try and pen what I’d consider a true obituary of a transgender person, it would be just as easy to discuss their transition in language that makes it clear that whatever gender or name they were born with is not the accurate one. To be trans is to reveal deep inner

truths, and shed an erroneous gender assignment. Who we were seen as by others up to a given part of our lives is not the sum of our lives, and, in my opinion, misses the whole point of being transgender in the first place. We are the authors of our lives, and our identities matter. t

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038252700

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038262900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038284500

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265700

Steve Friess is a lifetime member of NLGJA: The Association of LGBT Journalists.

Gwen Smith is who she is. You’ll find her at www.gwensmith.com.

Legal Notices>> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554170

In the matter of the application of: SADIE COLLEEN YEAGER AKA SADIE C. YEAGER AKA SADIE YEAGER, 501 38TH AVE #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SADIE COLLEEN YEAGER AKA SADIE C. YEAGER AKA SADIE YEAGER, is requesting that the name SADIE COLLEEN YEAGER AKA SADIE C. YEAGER AKA SADIE YEAGER, be changed to SADIE COLLEEN YEAGER BLACK. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 11th of October 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-18-554169

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ALFA DA CHILDCARE, 1316 SUNNYDALE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NICOLE D. CHAPMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/07/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/07/18.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038236400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GRAMERCY REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT, 1177 CALIFORNIA ST, SUITE A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed STEPHEN KEITH GOMEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/30/18.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038260100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DIAMOND SERVICES, 1446 THOMAS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed OLMEN MEJIA.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/13/18.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/18.

In the matter of the application of: SAMUEL LUCAS HICKS AKA SAM HICKS AKA SAMUEL L. HICKS AKA SAM L. HICKS, 501 38TH AVE #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121, for change of name having been ﬁled in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner SAMUEL LUCAS HICKS AKA SAM HICKS AKA SAMUEL L. HICKS AKA SAM L. HICKS, is requesting that the name SAMUEL LUCAS HICKS AKA SAM HICKS AKA SAMUEL L. HICKS AKA SAM L. HICKS, be changed to SAMUEL LUCAS HICKS BLACK. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 514, Room 514 on the 11th of October 2018 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: ENVIROCERN, 50 CALIFORNIA ST #1500, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAGNAR STEFANSSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/13/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/18.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038263200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SEA KEANE, 869 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SEAMUS KEANE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/14/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/18.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CUP+FORK, 3200 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed A & C HOSPITALITY (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038249500 Th e f o l l o w i n g p e r s o n ( s ) i s / a r e d o i n g b u s i n e s s a s : B O C O N C E P T, 1 R H O D E I S L A N D S T R E E T, S A N F R A N C I S C O, C A 9 4 1 0 3 . Th i s b u s i n e s s i s c o n d u c t e d b y a l i m i t e d p a r t n e r s h i p, a n d i s s i g n e d C O N T E M P C O G P L L C, G E N E R A L PA RT N E R O F C O N T E M P C O, I L P, ( C A ) ; S O R E N K R O G H - J E N S E N ; C A R L I N E A N TO N C I C C I . Th e r e g i s t ra n t ( s ) c o m m e n c e d t o t ra n s a c t b u s i n e s s u n d e r t h e a b o v e l i s t e d fictitious business name or names on 0 1 / 0 1 / 1 0 . Th e s t a t e m e n t wa s f i l e d w i t h t h e C i t y a n d C o u n t y o f S a n Fra n c i s c o, C A o n 08/06/18.

AUG 23, 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BLUE SKIES DOG WALKS, 887 28TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LAUREN MEREDITH.The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on NA.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038284700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as:ALONZO CLEANING SERVICE, 101 OCEAN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112.This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JESSICA PINEDA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/27/18.The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/27/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038254200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SASA EYEBROWS THREADING, 2359 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AENIS RIJAL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038262700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BROWN & CO. REAL ESTATE GROUP; BROWN & COMPANY REAL ESTATE, 1624 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIMOTHY BROWN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/14/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: RHUBARB PALACE MUSIC, 1689 FULTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed FRANK GRAU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/09/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038273500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NAIBU MAINTENANCE, 830 LAGUNA ST #K, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed BRUCE LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/21/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038259300

Th e f o llo win g p er s o n ( s ) is / a r e d o in g b u s in es s a s : A . B A MB E R ; D E SI G N S B Y O K SA N A , 1 2 4 1 2 4 TH AV E , SA N F R A N C I SC O, C A 9 4 1 2 2 . Th is b u s in es s is c o n d u c t ed b y a n in d iv id u a l, a n d is s ig n ed A D R I A N N A B A MB E R . Th e r eg is t ra n t ( s ) c o m m en c ed t o t ra n s a c t b u s in es s u n d er t h e a b o v e lis t ed f ic t it io u s b u s in es s n a m e o r n a m es o n 0 8 / 1 0 / 1 8 . Th e s t a t em en t wa s f iled wit h t h e C it y a n d C o u n t y o f Sa n Fra n c is c o, CA on 08/10/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018

<< Classifieds

14 • BAY AREA REPORTER • September 13-19, 2018

Legal Notices>> NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ROBERT M. BYRNE AKA ROBERT MACDOWELL BYRNE AKA ROBERT BYRNE IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-18-302156

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ROBERT M. BYRNE AKA ROBERT MACDOWELL BYRNE AKA ROBERT BYRNE. A Petition for Probate has been filed by WENDY LYNN BYRNE in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that WENDY LYNN BYRNE be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: SEPT 18, 2018, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: KERI L. PANKOW, ESQ. 309972, PLAGEMAN, LUND & CANNON LLP, 1 KAISER PLAZA #1440, OAKLAND, CA 94612 Ph. (510) 899-6100.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038273600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CARRY MY CANINE, 1038 JAMESTOWN AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANA L. CHAPMAN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/20/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/21/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: LOMBARD UNION 76, 2498 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GAWFCO ENTERPRISES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 06/29/06. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038265300

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038264900

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038254800

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038276300

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038275700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN BRUNO & SILVER SHELL, 2380 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed PETROMART RETAIL GROUP, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/01/14. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SF ROOTS, 2323 46TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed HELLO SAN FRANCISCO LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/22/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/18.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038260000

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-036645100

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038288600

The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as: TONIC BEVERAGE CATERING, 2209 POLK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business was conducted by a corporation and signed by DISGRUNTLED GOAT INC (CA). The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/25/15.

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038293000 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: NATALIE BLAIR SKIN STUDIO, 870 MARKET ST #761, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NATALIE BLAIR MORRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038292200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: REALTIME TAXES, 3030 BRODERICK ST #4, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHRISTOPHER STATON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/29/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/30/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038290500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: DFY CONSULTANTS, 747 SHRADER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DONNA YELMOKAS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/28/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/29/18.

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038276000

AUG 30, SEPT 06, 13, 20, 2018

SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018

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SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038300200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: EARTHSHINE GLITTER, 2747 MCALLISTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JAMES CARR-NELSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/11/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/06/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038266000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: YOU CAN SPANISH, 1219 15TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GREGORY WALLER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/14/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038299500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: BCC CONSULTING AND EVENT PLANNING, 241 MINERVA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GEOFFREA MORRIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/06/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/06/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038303700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRESCRIPTION RECORDS, 708 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RYAN WILLIAMS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 08/30/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF GRACE ESTHER DITO IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-18-302135

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of GRACE ESTHER DITO. A Petition for Probate has been filed by ELIZABETH SOLOWAY in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that ELIZABETH SOLOWAY be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Oct 09, 2018, 9:00 am, Dept. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: Ruth Koller Burke, Esq.178696, Law Offices of Ruth Koller Burke, 460 Center St #6264, Moraga, CA 94570; ruth@ruthburkelaw.com Ph. (925-788-2430)

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038297200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: STRICKLY THERAPEUTIC, 1475 9TH AVE SUITE 2, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ENRICO A. RUGGERI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 09/01/18. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038298200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GREEN WORLD CLEANING SERVICES, 321 SAWYER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JHONY AGUILAR. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/05/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/05/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038279700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: CBD WELLNESS CENTER, 703 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ARI DAVID KANNETT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/23/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/23/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038295500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO NEON, 1935 FRANKLIN ST #401, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed RANDALL ANN HOMAN & ALLAN BARNA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 09/01/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/04/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038294800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: 34263428-3428A 16TH STREET HOA, 3428A 16TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an unincorporated association other than a partnership, and is signed 3426-3428-3428A 16TH STREET HOA; JOHN CORTEZ; TIMOTHY DOHERTY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 01/28/13. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038294600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PRESCRIPTION RECORDS LLC; RX RECORDS, 708 9TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PRESCRIPTION RECORDS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/30/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/31/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038301400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as: HATCHET HALL DISTILLERY; FAT LABRADOR DISTILLERS, 849 AVENUE D, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94130. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TREEHOUSE CRAFT DISTILLERY, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/07/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038302700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TROPISUENO, 75 YERBA BUENA LANE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed YBL RESTAURANT GROUP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 11/22/08. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 09/10/18.

SEPT 13, 20, 27, OCT 04, 2018

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District - Notice To Proposers General Information

The SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, California, is advertising for proposals to provide Stationary Engineering Services For BART’s Office Building at 101 8th Street, Oakland, CA 94607 (“MetroCenter”), RFP 6M4604,on or about September 10, 2018, with proposals due by 2:00 P.M. local time, Tuesday, October 16, 2018.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED

The District is soliciting the services of one firm (“CONTRACTOR”) to provide Stationary Engineering Services all as specified in the RFP Exhibit 1, Attachment A, Scope of Services. The District presently intends to enter into no more than one, threeyear Agreement with a unilateral option to extend the Agreement for up to two additional one year periods.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: SAN FRANCISCO FARMERS MARKET, 4929 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed BUENDIA BUSINESS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on NA. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/24/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: VEGANN-KABOB, 1109 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed RAUA ENTERPRISE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/27/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/28/18.

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SEPT 06, 13, 20, 27, 2018 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-038287600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: GUM GUNE, 1209 STOCKTON ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a married couple, and is signed PETER P.P. CHAN & CHRISTINA WONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 03/22/12. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/28/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TERSE SYSTEMS, 645 WEBSTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WILLIAM SARGENT. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/12/17. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: FAHERTY PLUMBING, 1295 41ST AVE UNIT A, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FAHERTY PLUMBING & HEATING (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/22/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/22/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: TL CAFE, 517 O’FARRELL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed TRIPLE J INDUSTRIES LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 07/31/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/13/18.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as: POTRERO 76, 401 POTRERO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed GAWFCO ENTERPRISES, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/23/13. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/15/18.

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The following person(s) is/are doing business as: PICO LATIN STREET FOOD, 900 N. POINT ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DELHI DARBAR INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed ﬁctitious business name or names on 08/08/18. The statement was ﬁled with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 08/08/18.

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415.821.1792

REQUIRED REGISTRATION ON BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL

In order for prospective Proposers to be eligible for award of an Agreement being solicited on the BART Procurement Portal, such Proposers are required to be currently registered to do business with BART on the BART Procurement Portal on line at https:// suppliers.bart.gov and have obtained Solicitation Documents, updates, and any Addenda issued on line so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation. If a prospective Proposer is a joint venture or partnership, such entity may register on the BART Procurement Portal with the entity’s tax identification number (TIN) and download the Solicitation Documents so as to be listed as an on-line Planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Proposal. If such entity has not registered on BART Procurement Portal in the name of the joint venture or partnership prior to submitting its Proposal, provided that at least one of the joint venturers or partners registered on line on the BART Procurement Portal and downloaded the Solicitation Documents so as to be added to the On-Line Planholders List for this solicitation, such entity will be required to register with the entity’s TIN as an on-line Planholder following the submittal of Proposals, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Agreement. PROPOSERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, (OR FOR JOINT VENTURE OR PARTNERSIP AS DESCRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO AWARD) AND DID NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION ON LINE SO AS TO BE LISTED AS AN ON-LINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS AGREEMENT. A Pre-Proposal Meeting and Networking Session will be held on Thursday, September 20, 2018. The meeting will convene at 10:00 A.M. local time, in BART Offices located at 300 Lakeside Drive, 16th Floor, Conference Room No. 1600, Oakland, California 94612. All questions regarding the RFP should be directed to Mr. David Bui, Procurement Department at (510) 464-6383 or email: dbui@bart.gov. Prospective Proposers are requested to make every effort to attend this only scheduled Pre-Proposal Meeting and Networking Session. Proposals must be received by 2:00 P.M., local time, Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at the address listed in the RFP. Submission of a proposal shall constitute a firm offer to the District for One Hundred and Eighty (180) calendar days from the date of proposal submission. Dated at Oakland, California this 4th day of September 2018.

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Symphony opens

Indian art

Trumpian chaos

Infinite art

Vol. 48 • No. 37 • September 13-19, 2018

Lily Tomlin returns

Courtesy the artist

Courtesy the filmmaker

www.ebar.com/arts

Comedian and activist Tom Ammiano was a performer at the Valencia Rose.

Revisiting the Rose by Sari Staver

by Sari Staver Lily Tomlin: “It’s hard to believe I’m 79.”

n evening of film, stand-up comedy, and conversation with Tom Ammiano, Karen Ripley, Dirk Alphin, Monica Palacios and Paul Boneberg will be held at the Oasis, 298 11th St., SF, on Thurs., Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. See page 22 >>

he incomparable Lily Tomlin returns to the Bay Area stage for a benefit performance of her one-woman show “An Evening of the Classic Lily Tomlin.” See page 22 >>

Laura Krumm as Lola, Roberto Aronica as Turiddu, and Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza in Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana.”

San Francisco Opera’s double-header by Philip Campbell

he pairing of Italian operas “Cavalleria Rusticana” (“Rustic Chivalry”) and “Pagliacci” (“Clowns”) has been famously successful for more than a century. In an earlier age, the Met coupled the verismo shockers in reverse order for its 10th season, but the “Cav” first, ”Pag” second formula has worked best for so long, it made sense San Francisco Opera would choose the more traditional order for the opening night Gala last week. See page 18 >>

{ SECOND OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Out There

16 • Bay Area Reporter • September 13-19, 2018

Enjoying the hell out of opening week

Drew Altizer

Gala chairs James Hormel & Michael Nguyen-Hormel present flowers to Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and violinist Itzhak Perlman following their performance in the San Francisco Symphony’s 2018 Opening Night Gala.

by Roberto Friedman

es, San Francisco Bay Area socialites have long called the week after Labor Day “Hell Week,” but really it’s a type of cultural heaven. The San Francisco Symphony’s season-opening Gala transpired last Wednesday night, followed just two days later by the San Francisco Opera’s season-opening Ball. Going to either event is a commitment; attending both is not much short of crazy. Yet Out There was out there for both. Yes, they were very full evenings, including cocktail parties, the concert or double-billed

operas, then elaborate afterparties, but we’d been training for them all summer. Of course, the socialites we partied with didn’t have to get up and go to work the next day. But that’s why they’re socialites and we’re not. The SF Symphony opening began for us with a delightful Press Reception in the Green Room of Davies Symphony Hall. Then the concert, reviewed in this issue by music writer Philip Campbell, was appropriately festive, capped off by an indoor-outdoor afterparty in the Gala Tent and outside on Grove Street. The mood was upbeat, and OT was gay proud that this

year’s gala co-chairmen were James Hormel, former US ambassador to Luxembourg, and his husband, Michael Nguyen-Hormel. We love the spirit of inclusivity that’s so readily apparent in San Francisco. Two nights later, to open SF Opera’s 96th season with the double bill of Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” (also reviewed in this issue), San Francisco Opera Guild offered “Opera Ball 2018: ¡Viva La Noche!” The gala benefit raised funds for SFO’s education and outreach programs, and was designed by J. Riccardo Benavides. After a cocktail reception in the Opera House foyer and nibbles in the Press Room, we made our way to the annual Bravo! Club cham-

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Dimitri Platanias as Alfio in Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana.”

pagne reception upstairs on the glamorous Opera House Loggia. Then after the double header, we rejoined the Bravo! Club festivities underway at the Green Room in the Veterans Building. The after-party began at 11 p.m., and went on into the wee hours. “Cavalleria Rusticana” features Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza, Italian tenor Roberto Aronica as Turiddu, and in his first performances in the United States, Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias as Alfio. “Pagliacci” stars Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian as Nedda, Italian tenor Marco Berti as Canio, and American baritone David Pershall as Silvio. They were all performing their hearts out on the Opera House

stage, but we were also lucky to be introduced offstage to the glamorous Italian soprano Carmen Giannattasio, who will show us her “Tosca” later in the season. We can’t wait. One last thing about attending the dual high-profile season openings on either side of Grove Street: When they were introduced from the Opera House stage as being in the audience, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Representative Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi were all given warm and hearty ovations. Demonized elsewhere by Vichy Republicans, in San Francisco we appreciate everything that the Pelosis have been doing to stave off the worst excesses of the off-the-rails Administration. That alone is worth celebrating with galas.t

Remembering Paul Taylor by Brian Bromberger

n his autobiography, Paul Taylor wrote that the vital statistic of his life was “an insatiable itch to communicate to the world at large,” a goal he fulfilled as one of the greatest modern dance choreographers of the 20th century. Along with Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham, he established the parameters of modern American dance as an artform. With his contemporary Alvin Ailey, he helped popularize it, as well as inspiring such contemporary choreographers as Mark Morris and Twyla Tharp. He created at least two new dances a year, for a staggering total of 147 pieces, performed by his own troupe and groups worldwide. A visionary genius, he was as essential to modern dance as Balanchine

was to ballet. He extended his field to new and unimagined heights. He died on Aug. 29, at 88. Despite his natural talent, Taylor didn’t discover dance until his 20s. He was born in Wilkinsburg, PA in 1930. His father was a physicist, and his mother, a widow with three children, ran a boarding house. They separated when he was four. He had an impoverished but creative childhood, loving fantasy to the point he conceived an imaginary companion named George Tacet, whom he would later credit as a designer of several of his dances. He attended Syracuse University as a swimmer. His athleticism became an essential component of his dancing, which he discovered at school. He studied dance at Julliard for a year. He joined as a founding member

of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, developing his distinctive style on his six-foot, lithe, muscular frame. He started choreographing, there forming an artistic relationship with Cunningham’s designer, artist Robert Rauschenberg, as well as with his partner, artist Jasper Johns, who made the costumes. In 1955 he joined the Martha Graham Dance Company as a gifted soloist, and in 1959 danced for Balanchine’s New York City Ballet. Balanchine offered him the title role in his “Apollo,” but finding ballet too confining, Taylor decided to commit his life to modern dance. Gleaning much from Cunningham and Graham, he began to rely more on his own people-watching skills, even using a homeless man as inspiration for one of his ballets. In 1962 he devoted himself to his own Paul Taylor Dance Company, which became one of the first troupes to tour internationally and conduct a much-anticipated and heralded annual three-week season at Lincoln Center. In 1974 hepatitis and ulcers ended his own dancing. He could now channel his creativity fully into choreography, commencing a golden age of brilliant dances, still part of the standard repertoire 40 years later. His early dances in the 1950s, especially duets, were experimental, almost minimalist, pushing dance past boundaries, stripping it down to its bare essentials, influenced by Cunningham and the avant-garde music of John Cage. Starting in the 1960s, Taylor relied on more classical scores and movement featuring the poetic lyricism he became known for, starting with 1962’s “Aureole” set to Handel; “Big Bertha” (1970) featuring St. Louis band machines; “Esplanade” (1975) to Bach, with its emphasis on limber acrobatics like tumbling and skipping; “Runes” and “Cloven Kingdom” (1976); “Le Sacred du Printemps (the Rehearsal)” (1980); “Sunset” (1983), with music by Elgar alternating with loon calls; “A Musical Offering” (1986); “Company B” (1992), set to the music of

Despite his natural talent, Paul Taylor didn’t discover dance until his 20s.

the Andrew Sisters; “Promethean Fire” (2002) to commemorate 9/11; and “Beloved Renegade” (2008), his last success. Common to all these works was Taylor’s dedication to story, as each dance followed a narrative, encompassing the full mood range of the human condition from passion to despair/death. Other works reveled in comedy, with no issue exempt from his complex imagination. His ability to combine humor and pathos was unmatched. After the inventive peak of the 1980s, his hits became less frequent. He wrote his autobiography “Private Domain” in 1987 – an apt title since even his friends found him illusive and reclusive at times, He was gay but never came out publicly. He drops oblique coded hints about his sexuality in “Private Domain” that most LGBTQ people will decipher. The Washington Post obituary mentioned he had a companion, George Wilson (“Babe,” featured prominently in the memoir), a deaf mute, for 50 years, first as a lover

then as friends, until his death in 2004. Doubtlessly much of Taylor’s sexual energy was sublimated into his art. In his later years, the deserving accolades flowed: a genius Mac Arthur Foundation grant, France’s Legion d’Honneur (1990), the National Medal of Arts, and in 1992 the Kennedy Center Honor. Perhaps sensing the end, in May he named Michael Novak as the troupe’s new artistic director. For those who want to learn more about Taylor, the DVD of “Paul Taylor Dancemaker,” a film by Matthew Diamond nominated for an 1999 Oscar as Best Documentary, is highly recommended (including Taylor performing his own “Aureole”), as is his autobiography, considered one of the best dance books ever written. At the conclusion of “Private Domain,” he observes how dancers today are more responsive, “since they no longer feel like echoes of us, and now they speak to the audience in their own tongues.” If this is true, it is because Taylor’s iconoclastic choreography gave them that language.t

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<< Music

18 • Bay Area Reporter • September 13-19, 2018

SF Symphony’s shining opener

Drew Altizer

Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony kick off the 2018 Opening Night Gala concert.

by Philip Campbell

he San Francisco Symphony’s 107th season opened last week with typical flair and excitement. The stylish Gala mixed light-hearted music, tapas and free-flowing drinks with a chance to greet friends and colleagues and celebrate Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas as he enters his penultimate year on the podium at Davies Symphony Hall. MTT hasn’t got time for nostalgia just yet, and he made it clear from the moment he appeared. After a warm ovation he launched into the 2018-19 season with the national anthem, followed by a brief spoken introduction and performance of

SF Opera

From page 15

SFO’s 96th season, the first programmed almost entirely by the administration of General Director Matthew Shilvock, raised the gold curtain on a bold production of the Pietro Mascagni and Ruggero Leoncavallo two-fer, as staged by tenorturned-director Jose Cura for Opera Royal de Wallonie-Liege. Revival Director Jose Maria Condemi has re-created Cura’s move of the lurid tragedies to the Italian quarter of Buenos Aires. Cura’s colorful scenery and costumes by Fernand Ruiz, with Olivier Wery’s vivid lighting executed by Justin Partier, frame an intriguingly fresh twist on the timetested operatic coupling. It sometimes feels needless and confusing, but the change of locale offers a thematic link between the stories of love, betrayal and murder. Talk about an atmosphere of steam-

Liszt’s infectious “Mephisto Waltz” No. 1 for Orchestra. It was an unusual but entertaining choice for a curtain-raiser that immediately set the tone for a night devoted more to cheerful vibes than serious or lengthy compositions. The coiffed and lubricated first-nighters were already chomping at the bit for intermission anyway, and MTT is a showman who knows a popular program is best on opening night. The guest artist extraordinaire was the maestro’s old chum and everyone’s favorite fiddler, Itzhak Perlman. He brought a joyful focus to the proceedings with six young violinists from the Perlman Music Program in tow. The training program was originally founded by ing passion and dangerous liaisons – it’s a wonder the inhabitants have time for anything but their own personal dramas, all played amidst frequent calls to fervent prayer. Lots of stage business and a spot of sensuous choreography by Lawrence Pech fill the War Memorial stage with the bustling ebb and flow of the Italian Quarter. The musical performance matches the scorching emotional temperature. If conductor Daniele Callegari, making his SFO debut, dawdled less in the seemingly endless (but gorgeous) introduction to “Cavalleria,” or director Condemi scrapped Cura’s addition of vintage Argentinian radio at the start, the first half might be more convincing. The offstage serenade by full-throated tenor Roberto Aronica as Turiddu and lovely choral contributions were muffled as the denizens of the Quarter milled about. It was hard to know when the story would actually begin.

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Perlman’s wife, Toby. Seeing the master with his talented charges allin-a-row was heartwarming. Hearing them was cheering, too, and the repertoire was perfect. Bach’s D Minor Concerto for Two Violins not only allows chances for virtuosic playing, but also walks an agreeable line between serious and light-hearted music. Perlman took one solo role, with Kristin Lee, Sean Lee, Doori Na, Michelle Ross, Eric Silberger and Hannah Tarley taking turns on the second. It proved a surprisingly seamless listening experience that was also charming visually. Bartok’s Ruthenian Dance from “44 Duos for 2 Violins” was the brief and stirring encore, with all seven players feverishly enticing the audience to rise. After an extended intermission and plentiful selfies, the orchestra grabbed attention again with Gershwin’s stirringly rhythmic “Cuban Overture.” It lost steam at times, but it was a good way to start. The next set might just as well have been piped in through the DSH sound system: add mood lighting and stir. Still, the good-natured crowd responded well to Perlman’s second appearance, in selections from old-time romantic film scores including “Cinema Paradiso,” “Out of Africa,” and “Schindler’s List.” The real gem shone in the all-toobrief return to Latin America and Carlos Gardel’s sinuous tango “Por una cabeza,” used in the film “Scent of a Woman.” The title translates to

some Gallic zest to DSH as she joins “By a head,” as in winning by, but the maestro for Ravel’s jazzy Piano the show’s finale was arguably the Concerto for the Left Hand. Lightchamp. ing designer Luke Kritzeck and We have heard Gershwin’s colvideo designer Clyde Scott will also orfully elated “An American in be on hand for the concert, planned Paris” umpteen times before in the as a Global Climate Action Summit past year alone, and wondered at affiliate event.t including it yet again for the Gala. MTT has the composer in his soul, and his cracking crew can play the sfsymphony.org jaunty score blindfolded by now, so, considering the attention span and patience of the opening night audience, porquoi pas? The sights of Gershwin’s Parisian joyride, seen with wide American eyes and expressed tunefully with Tin Pan Alley sophistication, remains forever fresh, regardless of frequent hearings. When those intoxicating melodies return, they’re irresistible. The musicians of the SFS were in idiomatic harmony with MTT, and Principal Trumpet Mark Inouye’s solo was predictably hot. If it wasn’t to be an all-Gershwin Gala to start the season, this turned out Drew Altizer a pretty good programItzhak Perlman addresses the audience ming choice after all. during the San Francisco Symphony’s 2018 This week, star pianist Opening Night Gala. Yuja Wang brings her own special glamor and

Once the scene painting was done, the excellent cast brought the proceedings up to speed with accelerating energy. Russian mezzosoprano Ekaterina Semenchuk, remembered for her strong Amneris in “Aida,” immediately took pride of place as the tortured Santuzza, matching pure voice with sympathetic acting. Roberto Aronica’s Turiddu was tough and reckless. Former SFO Adler Fellow, mezzo-soprano Laura Krumm as Lola made her seductive powers genuinely alluring. Turiddu simply had to fall. I’m hoping rich-toned mezzosoprano Jill Grove won’t be typecast in future SFO productions. Her Mamma Lucia marked another stirring portrayal of an older woman after a string of similarly characterful roles. As Lola’s betrayed husband Alfio, baritone Dimitri Platanias made his SFO debut, a little dwarfed by the fussy staging. He got his chance to stand out more in the following “Pagliacci” as the scheming Tonio, the traveling actor who alerts the lead clown to his wife’s infidelity. The denizens of Cura’s Italian Quarter are certainly busy. After a long and enjoyable opening night intermission, the curtain rose again for a thoroughly satisfying rendition of Leoncavallo’s perfect little jewel in the crown of verismo. When the drama came to its shattering conclusion, more than one excited listener said SFO might have followed the old Met’s programming plan 125 years back. The musical action might have thrilled us right out of the gate. Conductor Callegari finally took the gloves off and gave the redblooded orchestral musicians full rein, building bold and beautiful support for the invigorated singers. “Pagliacci” is stark, violent and fabulously melodic. “Cav” is no slouch in the tunes department either, but it can’t hold a dripping candle to Leoncavallo’s superior text. Think early Fellini to get the mood of the doomed band of vaudevillians and understand how a simple tale of heartbreak and jealousy can assume mythic proportions.

As the world’s most legendary scary clown Canio, tenor Marco Berti returns to SFO after appearing in many notable starring roles. He validated the Company’s continued confidence in a performance of unaffected depth and impressive power. His “Vesti la giubba” (“Put on your costume”), the first millionselling record in history, was truly touching. When he turned murderous, he was frighteningly realistic. Soprano Lianna Haroutounian made her highly praised SFO debut in “Tosca” and later returned as “Madama Butterfly.” Her voice is particularly well-suited to Puccini. Her sweet tone, with a pleasant edge and firm lower register, also fits the role of Nedda. Charmingly costumed and seemingly innocent – she is cheating on Canio, after

all – she gave a fine portrayal of his conflicted wife. Her duet with Texan baritone David Pershall (Merola Program 2008) as her secret lover Silvio provided a beautifully lyrical vignette. Silvio isn’t afforded much individuality; Pershall brought fervent life to the part. When the curtain fell following the opera’s renowned closing line “La commedia e finita!”(“The play is over!”), given here unconventionally to Jill Groves (returning from the first half), the audience exploded with applause. Ian Robertson’s wonderful SFO Chorus, a theatrical troupe in its own right, shared in the well-earned ovation.t “Cav/Pag” continues in repertory through Sept. 30. sfopera.com

Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

Amitai Pati as Beppe and Marco Berti as Canio in Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci.”

Fine Arts>>

September 13-19, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 19

Season Opening Concert

Michael Morgan, Guest Conductor Tickets & Info: http://BARS-SF.ORG

Saturday, Sept 15, 8pm SF Conservatory of Music 50 Oak Street (at Van Ness)

Bernstein Three Dances from “Fancy Free” Bruch Scottish Fantasy Andrew Sords, violin Mozart Symphony No. 36 “Linz” Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien

http://BARS-SF.ORG

“Prime Minister Modi arriving in a village via helicopter” (2015) by Dulari Devi. Ink and colors on paper. Bihar state, Mithila region, India. Asian Art Museum.

Straight out of Mithila by Sura Wood

“P

ainting is My Everything,” an entrancing new fall exhibition at the Asian Art Museum, is an unmitigated delight. Though not large in scale, the show, featuring 30 modern ink-and-color works on paper, is big and zestful in spirit, and provides wider attention to an art movement emanating from a part of the world many in the West have never heard of. For centuries, women have painted the walls and floors of their homes with festive stylized imagery of deities, fertility icons and emblems of protection in the rural Mithila region of Bihar state in northeastern India, where the practice has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Two natural disasters brought their art to light. After a catastrophic earthquake in 1934, British Colonial officials, scouring the rubble of toppled homes, uncovered the paintings. Enchanted by their bold compositions and vibrant colors, they documented them, igniting interest in works that had previously been hidden within family compounds, like the secret inner lives of the women who created them. In response to a severe drought that crippled the area three decades later, the government encouraged these local artists to translate their paintings from interior walls to thick, handmade paper so they could be sold commercially in the country’s major cities and generate income for families suffering economic hardship. Who knew that such a pragmatic initiative would spawn a creative boom? Since then, the best-known Mithila artists, the majority of whom are women belonging to marginalized communities and lower castes, have achieved recognition and attained financial independence through their art. Works by the 17 artists represented here display some of the exuberance and unconstrained freedom associated with outsider art, but they reflect assurance and discipline, too.

Striking aesthetics predominate, as do ornate borders and an assertive delineation of figures. Color schemes vary depending on the source. High-caste Brahmin designs are characterized by multiple colors, from hot pink and purple to orange and lemon yellow; linework from the clerical caste is frequently black & white, complemented by red pigment; and Dusadh (lowcaste) painters incorporate flowers, heroic tales and assorted gods inspired by the protective tattoos that adorn their bodies. Each painting in the show is accompanied by a detailed label, making every stop along the way in the roomy exhibition gallery a chance to pause for storytelling time. The explanatory text is superb, illuminating a pantheon of arcane gods, religious myths and otherwise indecipherable symbols, as well as the lives and personal travails of the artists. There’s absolutely no one better at this aspect of exhibition craft than the Asian and its crack curatorial team. Though there are renderings of an unlikely sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C. monuments, a frisky pregnant cow, and an anomalous conclave of long-haired, smoking, drinking Japanese hippies, the subjects are primarily traditional. They conjure events in daily life, magical animals, wedding celebrations and beloved gods such as Ganesha, a Hindu deity with an elephant’s head that’s joyfully depicted by Jogmaya Devi as an upright, humanlike, four-armed figure, embedded in a maze of intricate patterns and a shower of floating plants and buds in blasts of deep indigo, magenta and citron. But the artists don’t shy away from troubling issues of modern life. Dulari Devi’s cartoonish, mildly comical “Prime Minister Modi arriving in a village via helicopter” (2015) presents the candidate and his retinue aboard a hovering aircraft resembling an oversized fish, waving to a throng of female supporters gathered on the ground below in the run-up to the 2014 election. Shalinee Kumari,

who’s in her early 30s and received a year of formal training at the Mithila Art Institute in Madhubani, has tackled such controversial topics as environmental sustainability, political corruption and equal rights. It’s possible to discern a subtext of sexual politics and gender identity in “Women’s Power” (2017), where she inventively interprets the Great Goddess Devi, a formidable, multilimbed, triple-headed entity emerging from a lotus. Her lower half, a combo of Shiva and the goddess Parvati appearing as “The Lord Who is Half Female,” stands on the supine corpses of two men. A young Hindu bride, transported in a palanquin by a pair of turbaned men to the home of her new husband’s family, seems trapped and downhearted in Kumari’s “Daughters Are for Others” (2006), which sheds light on the sexist, tradition-bound domestic roles that confine daughters, wives and daughters-in-law in Indian society. Kumari will participate in a week-long residency at the museum next month. Other works portray deeply felt experiences such as “The Death of Baua Devi’s Daughter” (1980), an autobiographical painting in which the artist mourns the loss of her six-day-old baby girl. Devi, who, at the age of 12, wed an abusive husband, was only 19 when she lost her child. Created a decade after her daughter died, the painting shows a girl standing between two nearly identical women. They’re flat and in profile on a fuchsia background, facing each other across a divide, mirror images of a bereaved mother before and after the tragedy. In the center, piercing eyes, presumably those of a god or death, stare down at the viewer from behind a black curtain. Like so many women artists exhibited here, Devi’s talent changed her life, elevated her status in the community, and gave her fame and a powerful voice that can reach across continents.t Through Dec. 30. asianart.org

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<< TV

20 • Bay Area Reporter • September 13-19, 2018

Watching the Kavanaugh hearings by Victoria A. Brownworth

We watched Feinstein and Harris (as well as Mazie Hirono, Sheldon ianne Feinstein and Kamala Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar and Harris. When Brett Kavanaugh Cory Booker, in particular) elicit the is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme most damning testimony from witCourt, at least Californians can nesses on Sept. 7. It’s been difficult know that those two feminist badasto watch some of this testimony ses did everything in their power as because we know exactly how much the ranking member of the Senate our lives will be impacted by KavaJudiciary Committee and as its most naugh’s decisions. junior member, respectively, to stop As Feinstein and Harris have it. The most compelling miniseries made clear, Kavanaugh is not on of the new fall TV season has been, our side. He is not for the women without question, the hearings for and he is not for the gays. Whether SCOTUS nominee Kavanaugh. trans people have even made it onto These hearings, broadcast live on his radar seems dubious. There was C-SPAN and in part on CNN and no mention of trans issues in these MSNBC, have been an education. hearings to our knowledge. SevThe best parts have reinforced the eral Democratic senators had letters predicate of this republic: democadded into the testimony pile, and at racy, transparency of government, least one of these was from a trans and exercise of our First Amendwoman activist, Sarah McBride, ment rights. who is the National Press Secretary There are historical points where of the Human Rights Campaign. TV really rises for us as a nation. It was Harris who first asked We’ve just passed yet another 9/11 Kavanaugh if he viewed Obergefell anniversary. We wrote here about v. Hodges, the 2015 case that legalwhat a unifying force TV ized same-sex marriage, was during those terrible as landmark civil rights and deeply emotional law. He refused to say it days after the worst terwas. But he didn’t just rorist attack in the mainrefuse to say it was, he land U.S. in our history. referred to the June 2018 There have been definicase of Masterpiece tive moments in which Cake Shop in which the we have been united SCOTUS ruled in favor (or divided) since, and of religious liberty over TV has highlighted the rights of gay men those moments for us. and lesbians to get a We shall, for example, never forget wedding cake. the real-time ongoing news coverKavanaugh referenced this case age of the Pulse nightclub shooting repeatedly when asked again about two summers ago. Nor forget how Obergefell by Harris, who dogged gut-wrenching it was as parents and him on it, and by Hirono and by partners searched for their loved Feinstein. Booker and Harris tagones, already knowing that it was a teamed on Obergefell. Booker asked futile search and that those bodies point-blank if Kavanaugh believed lay within the carnage that was left. it was “morally unacceptable” to fire We’ve witnessed countess school a person because they were gay after shootings, Columbine to Parkland. asking him about firing women and And no one can ever forget the people of color, which Kavanaugh very specific horror that was Sandy said would be wrong. But when Hook, because no one will ever be Booker asked if that was true about able to comprehend murdering 20 firing people on the basis of their first graders at their desks 10 days sexual orientation, Kavanaugh debefore Christmas, no matter how murred. long we live. This is important for many And so it is that we watched reasons, not the least of which are the Kavanaugh hearings, which that there is no federal law prohibaddressed gun violence, antiiting discrimination against LGBT LGBT hate, and overwhelmingly, a people, and that in November 2017, ONO-Phantom/OnYourFeet-SFBT-ad.qxp_Layout 9/6/18 4:08 Page 1 woman’s right to bodily autonomy. Attorney 1 General JeffPMSessions

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Broadway Backwards An evening of music, dance & comedy

SEPT. 24, 2018 H 7:30PM Marines’ Memorial Theater 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco

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disallowed cases of antiLGBT discrimination to be argued on the basis of Title IX, despite lower-court rulings. Harris and Feinstein tweeted about their thoughts on Kavanaugh throughout the hearings, but on the final day, Sept. 7, they were vociferous. Harris noted Friday afternoon, “Obergefell v. Hodges legalized same-sex marriage across the country, and was one of the great moments in the history of the Supreme Court. Despite repeated questioning, Brett Kavanaugh during the first day of his Kavanaugh refused to say Senate confirmation hearings. it was correctly decided.” She attached her dramatic over the week that was more powerquestioning of Kavanaugh, ful or more gutting. and it did not look good for him. Corbin described how his life will On that final day of hearings we be at risk if the Affordable Care Act were, as we have been much of the is overturned and his family can past two years, in a hospital. Watchno longer get health insurance to ing CSPAN on our phone was quite cover his and his younger brother’s the counterpoint to what we witpre-existing conditions. He detailed nessed in the Kavanaugh hearings how he has been an activist for the that day. past few years, for this. He is 13. He On Sept. 7 we watched Kavanaended his statement saying, “I speak ugh’s character witnesses. These not just for children. I speak for evwere almost wholly women and eryone.” We heard the haunting repeople of color who had been law frain of dozens of friends dead from students, law clerks and colleagues AIDS over the years in his final caveof Kavanaugh’s. To a one they tesat: “I speak for everyone who could tified to what an empathetic and be diagnosed tomorrow. I may still generous person he is. That seems be a kid, but the decisions you make indisputable. Kavanaugh works in today will affect our futures.” soup kitchens. He mentors a group LaChance held up a coffee-stirrer of black law students to further and asked the committee to try broaden the racial demographic of breathing through one. We know law clerks. He coaches one of his what that means because we have daughter’s teams. He clearly has lots had asthma, like LaChance, since of women friends and colleagues childhood. He argued for clean air, who admire and respect him. for climate science, for the lives of But also on that day were other the millions of Americans impacted testimonies, including those of three by lung disease and pollution. young teens. Aayalah Eastmond is Something Californians experienca survivor of the Parkland school ing ever-more-intense fire seasons shooting. Her uncle was also killed have been living through, and trying in gun violence. Jackson Corbin to breathe through. has a genetic disorder that means Then there was John Dean, former he spends a hellish amount of time White House Counsel for Richard in hospitals and with specialists. Nixon. Dean has become a bit of Hunter LaChance has asthma. a darling of the Resistance since These were kids who were TV Trump’s presidency. In exchange for perfect. Eastmond is a beautiful a reduced sentence, this architect of high school senior, with long braids the Watergate cover-up was a witand glowing dark skin. Corbin was ness for the prosecution. Had Nixon an adorable Harry Potter-esque kid not been pardoned by Gerald Ford, whose disease makes him small for he would likely have gone to prison his 13 years. And LaChance was a for the crimes detailed by Dean. As gorgeous 15-year-old sports enthuit was, he was the only president ever siast who also spends a lot of time in to have been forced to resign. Dean hospitals with uncontrolled asthma. testified to how a pall will hang over Eastmond’s testimony was chillKavanaugh’s term as SCOTUS jusing. She was literally protected from tice, as it has for Clarence Thomas being shot to death by the bodies because of lies told during the Senate of the two people who were shot in Judiciary hearings about Anita Hill. front of her in her classroom on HoIt was a brief but powerful statement. locaust studies. She described every The numbers aren’t there for the minute of the incident in her classDemocrats. They are missing only room, where there was not enough a couple of votes, but missing they “safe” space in the room, and where are. And on paper Kavanaugh looks people died. She described being great. By the time you read this, he “covered in blood and body matter,” may have already been confirmed of phoning her parents and telling and headed to the SCOTUS for the them she loved them and asking first Monday in October. them to tell her siblings she loved But that doesn’t make this reportthem. She described being certain ing here any less necessary. Our lives, she was going to die. It was electric as women, as LGBTQ, as people of testimony during which she never color, as immigrants, as poor, sick wavered, never cried. She said, “Reand disabled, matter. Those lives member all victims of gun violence.” rarely make it to the evening news Then she referenced an incident or to proceedings like these. Our those of us watching the hearings lives were put out there by Harris, had witnessed the first day. Fred Feinstein and Booker. They made Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime clear how important LGBTQ people was killed in the Parkland shootare, and in lieu of our own testiing, had introduced himself to mony, spoke for us. We were able Kavanaugh, mentioned his daughto witness it in real time and know ter and held out his hand to shake that we would not be voiceless in Kavanaugh’s. Kavanaugh looked at these hearings. Kavanaugh was held him, then turned and walked away. to scrutiny from these Democratic Eastmond ended her statement, “If senators. Not from GOP senators. Judge Kavanaugh doesn’t have the While Kavanaugh may be a nice decency to shake the hand of the man in his personal life, that’s not father of a victim of gun violence, the role he will play for this nation. he won’t have the decency to protect His originalist views are antithetical us from gun violence.” to our very lives. There really wasn’t any testimony

‘Purge’ world

As we watched the first episode of “Purge” after the opening day of the Kavanaugh hearings, we were struck by just how hyperrealistic was the depiction of an America off-kilter due to an unfettered political regime. The “Purge” world looks like our own. It’s America right now. That’s what makes “Purge” terrifying. We love horror, and “Purge” gives us horror times a bazillion. The actual gore has been tamped down a bit AP for the small screen from that in the “Purge” film franchise. But hearing the screams of someone being dragged behind a car in the distance or seeing the shadows of a group of masked revelers on the purge holiday chopping someone to bits with axes is somehow even more horrific. Yet it is the underlying theme of dystopia and a vaguely defined authoritarian Nazism that is most harrowing. There’s everything here in this latest offering from USA: some erotic queer sex right up front, pretty people of all races, solid writing and acting, superb photography and an absolutely unnerving sense that what we’re watching isn’t wholly fiction. If you want pretty and creepy, then you want to watch Lifetime’s latest series, “You,” a stalker drama told from the vantage point of the stalker. It’s very good. It stars “Gossip Girl”’s hunky Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, a techie bookstore manager who meets and falls for, then stalks a customer, Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail), a poet and MFA student with her own history. Shay Mitchell, everyone’s favorite lesbian heartthrob from “Pretty Little Liars,” and Zach Cherry also star. Don’t be put off by Lifetime as a brand. We just saw a smart little indie teen lesbian film on Lifetime, “The Archer,” which we urge you to watch online or on demand. Lifetime also, like FX and several other networks devoting themselves to 50/50 gender representation, has been a space for women filmmakers, writers and producers to excel. “You” is terrific. It’s slick, atmospheric, and creepy as hell. Badgely is riveting as the charming sociopath, and gives an Emmy-worthy performance. This series addresses the issue of privacy: How culpable are we in our lives when we put everything online, have our pet’s name as our password for everything, and leave our virtual door unlocked and our windows open to the world, and to guys like Joe. Told in the second person, Joe is our unreliable narrator. “You” is clever, smart, and has some gay moments. It has a Me Too subplot, and no one is onedimensional. It’s funny, ironic, and did we mention how good Badgely is? So good. We cringe a little when we start to like Joe and yell at the screen when MFA candidate Guinevere does things that she knows she shouldn’t. Finally, CNN detailed the case of two lesbians who were caned (yes, publicly caned like it’s the Middle Ages) in Malaysia for being caught touching in a car. Being gay is against the law in Malaysia. The world remains an unsafe place for LGBTQ people every day. “Law & Order” will address that to a degree in the upcoming series “Law & Order: Hate Crimes,” which we’ll detail soon. So for the fun stuff you can turn off and the real life that you cannot, for the hoofbeats of authoritarianism in real life and in fiction, you know you really must stay tuned.t

Theatre>>

September 13-19, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 21

Just Jackie! by Jim Gladstone

a double-barreled Twitter blast (“Laura Dern t’s been almost a year since had famous parents. Jackie Hoffman turned in Forgive me for being what may be the most widely from real people #elitseen performance of her ism #Emmys2017”; career. At last September’s “I hear that Laura Emmy Awards, the BroadDern runs a child way and comedy veteran was porn ring #soreloser nominated as Best Supporting Emmys2017”) there Actress in a Drama for her was a brief eruption of role as Joan Crawford’s major backlash in broadcast domo Mamacita in “Feud.” media and online. As Laura Dern was pro“I was absolutely claimed the winner, Hoffman, surprised by how many who makes her San Francisco people didn’t get it,” cabaret debut at Feinstein’s at said Hoffman during a the Nikko next weekend, was recent phone conversacaptured on live TV, all liption with the B.A.R. stick snarl and cat-eye glasses, “What person in the emphatically snapping, world would do that “Dammit! Dammit!” seriously? Anyone familiar with the “That was on brand 58-year-old Hoffman’s curfor ‘Jackie,’” she notes mudgeonly Noo Yawk comedy of her cranky takeroutines immediately recogno-bullshit comic nized the bit as sharp-elbowed stage persona, “but Stephen Churchill Downes performance art, played difor people who don’t rectly to the cameras trained Jackie Hoffman: “I’m in my 50s, and I’m still know me, I guess they on capturing nominees’ reac- breathing and functioning.” thought I was just some tions to the announcement. psychotic, postmenoAs it turns out, not that many pausal crazy woman.” on the short-lived sitcom “The New people were familiar. While HoffIn retrospect, she savors the moNormal,” she’s very much a creature man has had small roles in film and ment. “I was finally popular enough of live theater. made plenty of guest appearances to have haters.” Before that, “I could So when Hoffman doubled down on TV series and a recurring role have shot a political figure in the on her onscreen Emmy pique with

middle of Fifth Avenue and not been arrested.” Hoffman’s brash, earthy, politically liberal humor is a natural for New York, where she’s mounted a series of adored solo shows at Joe’s Pub including “A Chanukah Carol” and “The Kvetching Continues.” Hoffman has developed a cultish following among gay and Jewish audiences, and has performed at Jewish charitable events and on gay cruises. On Broadway, she’s appeared in gay cult favorite “Xanadu” along with “Hairspray,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “On the Town,” and “The Addams Family,” as Grandma. A former Second City improv performer, Hoffman has also collaborated with David and Amy Sedaris, taking roles in their quirky off-Broadway plays “The Book of Liz,” “Incident at Cobbler’s Knob,” and “One Woman Shoe.” Asked whether she thinks of herself as more an actor or a comedian, Hoffman said, “I have to go with actor. Even Joan Rivers, when she was doing stand-up, was playing a character. When you’re bright-eyed and bushy-assed, you’re like, ‘Oh, I want to be a movie star,’ but now I’m in my 50s, and I’m still breathing and functioning. And I’m working. I’m acting.

“I have fulfilled many a dream, I must say: five Broadway musicals, a regular on TV series. I would like to have a chance to play the kinds of roles that have automatically gone to males in the past. A mob boss or something that I could use my humor and vulgarity in.” Meanwhile, the wider recognition and recognizability that’s come from acting in “Feud” have given Hoffman an opportunity to expand her live audiences beyond her hometown. She’s leveraged the moment by titling her Feinstein’s show “Memoircita.” Though she used the same name for solo performances last spring at the LGBT center in Los Angeles, Hoffman says that because she’s developed so much material that’s rarely been seen outside of Manhattan, she won’t be repeating her LA sets. “I don’t know exactly what this show is going to be,” she said. “I can tell you it will be a cross between stand-up and a one-woman show with some songs. The songs are exquisite. I write the lyrics. It will be a new breath of putrid.”t Jackie Hoffman, “Memoircita” Sept. 21-22, 8 p.m. Feinstein’s at the Nikko, 222 Mason St., SF. $45-$80 www. feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Radical artistic vision by David Lamble

ith “Kusama-Infinity,” director-writer-producer Heather Lenz takes on an impressive challenge: to dramatize the story of a radical individual, the experimental, eccentric mid-century Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Born into a wealthy agricultural family in 1929, the young Kusama considered herself an artist, an idea that didn’t sit well with her conservative parents, especially her mother, who was constantly taking away her stubborn child’s artistic tools in order to groom her to be an obedient housewife and marry into money. Throughout the war years the girl kept turning out canvasses covered with what would become her signature dots and lines. Her philosophy is summed up in an existential rant: “From the point of view of one who creates, everything is a gamble, a leap into the

unknown. I convert the energy of life into dots of the universe. And that energy, along with love, flies into the sky.” Faced with a culture dedicated to keeping women, particularly talented women, in their place, Kusama plotted early on to go to America. An early inspiration was the New Mexican desert work of Georgia O’Keeffe, in particular O’Keeffe’s famous canvas “Black Iris.” Kusama wrote O’Keeffe, begging the elderly artist to take her on as a pupil. O’Keeffe refused, but did kindly offer introductions to New York galleries. What followed was a virtual Kusama invasion as the young woman sent a number of huge canvases to several galleries, unsolicited. An illustration of just how single-mindedly dedicated Kusama was to overcoming the old boys’ network of the 1950s Manhattan art scene comes in a revealing tale about her feelings regarding

sex. Confronted by men who were often horny, sexually aggressive, in fact downright abusive, Kusama established a platonic bond with the reclusive artist Joseph Cornell. Deeply repressed, Cornell lived much of his adult years supporting his mother and his disabled brother. As Kusama tartly observes, “He didn’t like sex, and I didn’t like sex, so we didn’t have sex.” Having witnessed the worst things that war can bring during her childhood, Kusama became involved in the late-60s anti-war movement in New York, helping to stage naked anti-war happenings in Central Park, news of which prompted her shocked parents back in Japan to buy up every copy of magazines describing her activities. There are memorable bits of archival footage of gleefully nude 20somethings dancing in defiance of the Nixon-era authorities. Kusama’s story is also marked by wild mood swings, including several

Magnolia Pictures

Scene from director Heather Lenz’s “Kusama-Infinity.” Opens Fri.

serious suicidal episodes. “Among waves of people, I have managed to survive this long life. How many times did I think about putting a

Trump cards

Sony Pictures Classics

Scene from filmmaker Jim Stern’s “American Chaos.”

by David Lamble

ehold the Trump voter. In “American Chaos,” a textured documentary from Sony Pictures Classics opening Friday, we discover the many reasons older, mostly

white voters give for choosing an older man with baggage over an older women with issues of her own. The film opens with a montage of every American presidential matchup from 1912 (Teddy Roosevelt/Taft/Wilson) through Obama/

Romney. Filmmaker Jim Stern delivers his painful observations with a quip. “I’m from Chicago. My heart is in Chicago. Every time I return here, I’m home. I grew up in a political family, Cook County Democrats in a one-party town.” As Stern glumly observes, the 2016 presidential election between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton came pre-rigged, due to the candidates’ means of acquiring wealth and an indelible public image. Trump had hosted his nighttime NBC reality show with its famous tag-line “You’re fired!” for years. There he stockpiled viewer chits, votes of appreciation from Americans who felt that their pride in the American way of life had been cheapened by Obama and “Crooked Hillary.” Stern delivers a gallery of Trump voter faces straight out of Diane Arbus. These Trump supporters seem to feel his bio is a kind of blueprint for the restoration of America. They view “illegal im-

migrants” as “foreign invaders,” akin to “killer bees” once heading this way from Latin America. My quibble with his film is it’s not quite enough to effectively refute Trump’s “big lie.” Stern should have elaborated on a couple of beats that go by too quickly. Former President Ronald Reagan’s son Ron appears briefly as a liberal talk host. Young Reagan’s career arc, as a Yale dropout, professional ballet dancer, TV talk star, prominent American atheist and Reagan family biographer, would in a sane universe lead to a major White House candidacy. Here he’s dismissed in a nanosecond as part of the small army of MSNBC commentators who didn’t see the Trump wave coming. “American Chaos” is a sample of the alienated, mostly white voter base that helped put us in our present peril. It’s a start, but as the film reveals, the age of Trump is with us for a reason. The pertinent questions are: For how long? And which exit can we take?t

knife to my neck, seeking death? I collected my thoughts and got up again. I wish for life’s bright sunshine. I want to live forever.”t

Since 1977

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<< Film

22 • Bay Area Reporter • September 13-19, 2018

Valencia Rose

From page 15

The evening opens with David Pavlovsky’s new 30-minute documentary, “Stand Up, Stand Out,” which tells the story of three gay teachers’ fight for equal rights during the 1970s gay liberation movement, which led to the founding of the Valencia Rose Cabaret, believed to be the first gay-owned and gay-operated comedy club in the nation. The Valencia Rose, founded in 1981 by the late Hank Wilson and the late Ron Lanza, closed five years later. It was located at 744 Valencia St., formerly a mortuary. After it folded, Lanza resurrected the club in the Castro as Josie’s Cabaret and Juice Joint at 16th St. and Market, where the restaurant Starbelly is now located. The new film “plunges into a little-known but widely resonant chapter of queer cultural history,” director Pavlovsky said in a telephone interview with the B.A.R. “Through the voices and humor of the Rose’s performers, the film explores gay comedy as an outgrowth of the rich traditions of activism and performance in San Francisco, an empowering response to the conservative politics of the era, and a valiant quest for joy and laughter amidst the horrific onslaught of the AIDS crisis,” Pavlovsky said. Pavlovsky, a 50-year-old New Yorker, recalled that as AIDS ravaged the city, a gay and lesbian comedy club was flourishing. Valencia Rose, he said, was not only the birthplace of many well-known

Lily Tomlin

From page 15

careers, but also a “de facto community center” and gathering spot for activists. “At a dark historical moment, it was a locus of resistance through laughter.” Pavlovsky said he was prompted to make the film after completing two previous films about homophobia. “Puzzles: When Hate Came to Town” was about a hate crime in a Massachusetts gay bar, when an 18-year-old attacked three men with a hatchet and a gun. The other film, “Don’t Bring Scott,” explores homophobia in Pavlovsky’s own family, when his parents disinvited his partner to their 46th wedding anniversary party. “I realized homophobia was a common theme in my work, and I felt a real sadness within myself because of the struggles that LGBTQ people face,” he said. “I wanted to laugh and explore humor through film.” Pavlovsky and his partner took a stand-up comedy class where they were required to perform a fiveminute skit. “We were told to be vulnerable and to write comedy around our own unique experiences. In the process, we each came out in our comedy material,” he said. During the class, Pavlovsky began to wonder about the stories of LGBT comics, and through his research discovered San Francisco’s Valencia Rose. He spent five years making the film. Putting together the footage for the film was a challenge, but the late Ron Lanza, a co-owner of the club, connected Pavlovsky with Dirk Alphin, who had been operations manager of the club. Luckily, said Pavlovsky, Alphin

had made video recordings of many of the performers. Making the film reminded Pavlovsky that comedy can be “a tool to fight oppression, and can bond us as a community. In some ways laughter can heal us, relieve the pain we feel inside, and validate who we are by laughing at ourselves and also laughing at others,” he said. “I learned that more than ever before, we live in time where LGBTQ stories

Critics Circle, in recognition of producing two decades of providing “life-enriching productions and performances.” The B.A.R. caught up with Tomlin on Sept. 1, her 79th birthday, just before she and Wagner were headed out to celebrate with a 14-year-old family friend who shared the same birthday. In a half-hour phone

interview from her home in LA, Tomlin answered dozens of questions about her personal, professional, and political life, as well as explaining why One Fair Wage is so important to her. Tomlin said, “It’s hard to believe I’m 79.” She feels more like “about 35 or 40.” Asked about her 42-year romance and professional relation-

Courtesy the filmmaker

The Valencia Rose Cabaret was located at 744 Valencia St. in San Francisco.

The award-winning actress will perform a two-hour multimedia show on Thurs., Sept. 20, 8 p.m. at U.C. Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, to benefit One Fair Wage, a national campaign to pass legislation requiring the restaurant industry to pay all its employees the minimum wage. The Zellerbach show includes appearances by a number of Tomlin’s classic characters, on video and in person, as well as an informal conversation with the audience. Following the show, ticket-holders who donate at least $100 to OFW will have a rare opportunity to meet the actress at a private reception at the theatre, where a professional photographer will be shooting souvenir pictures. Tomlin began her career performing off-Broadway in the 1960s. Her breakout role was as a cast member on the variety show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” from 1969-73, where she introduced her classic characters Ernestine, a nosy, condescending telephone operator who treated customers with little sympathy; and Edith Ann, a precocious five-yearold who waxed philosophical on everyday life. Tomlin has received awards throughout her career, including six Emmys, a Tony for each of her onewoman Broadway shows, a Grammy for her comedy album, and two Peabodys. She is currently in her fifth season in the Netflix hit series “Frankie and Johnny.” Earlier this year, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center was honored with the Margaret Harford Award for sus- In coming out, Tomlin “had to deal with the reaction of my mother, tained excellence in theatre a conservative Southern Baptist.” by the Los Angeles Drama

can and need to be written, directed and told by us, where previously stories were simply told about us as ‘other’ by the larger mainstream heterosexual society. “By preserving the voices of LGBTQ individuals through their own words and experiences, we as filmmakers ensure that future generations have access to a diverse historical record as we confront the struggles of today. Filmmaking

provides a shared past that builds a common identity within our community and gives a sense of continuity and accomplishment,” he said. “The time I spent in the GLBT Archive in San Francisco made me realize there are so many more amazing stories yet to be told.”t

ship with Jane Wagner, Tomlin said the two met in Tomlin’s NYC hotel room in 1977 after Tomlin asked a mutual friend to arrange an introduction. Tomlin said she wanted to see if Wagner might be interested in collaborating on a stage play. When Wagner walked into the hotel room, sparks flew. “I just immediately fell in love with Jane. She was so smart and so beautiful. Jane had already won a Peabody Award for her television special ‘J.T.,’ and I was very impressed with her talent.” said Tomlin. But Wagner “acted very cool, and I wasn’t sure she was the least bit interested” in her. Scheduled to perform in Chicago, Tomlin left town that night. Then Tomlin had a day off and went back to NYC to get acquainted with Wagner. The relationship took off “almost immediately.” The cross-country relationship would require lots of plane travel, and “Jane took me by the hand, went to the airport, and pointed out that all the flights we watched taking off made it to their destination.” While people in the entertainment industry knew that Tomlin and Wagner were a couple, the women did not announce to the world that they were lesbians. If the climate for LGBTs had been different back then, “of course we would have come out” sooner than they did, said Tomlin. The couple married in 2014, after 38 years together. Tomlin explained that she “had to deal with the reaction of my mother, a conservative Southern Baptist who had suffered a physical collapse after my Courtesy the artist younger brother came out.” Tomlin’s brother, four years younger, is an artist living in Nashville with his partner.

Over the years, Tomlin has worked on behalf of a number of causes, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS), which helps people with serious illness keep their companion animals. About a year ago, Tomlin began focusing her efforts on One Living Wage, after Jane Fonda suggested she join her on a fundraising trip to Detroit, Tomlin’s hometown. “Jane and I talk politics all the time on the set during rehearsal” for “Frankie and Johnny.” “I said yes immediately. I know what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck and not have any savings.” Tomlin had a number of food service jobs herself, including delivering trays to hospital patients and waiting tables at a Howard Johnson’s. Since the first minimum wage law was passed in 1938, Tomlin said, restaurant workers’ wages went from zero to $2.13/hour at the federal level and $3.38 dollars/ hour in Michigan, a raise of $3 over 80 years. “And no, this is not fake news,” she said. Some 70% of tip workers who earn $3.38 per hour are women. “Jane and I began advocating for female worker’s rights in 1980” in their comedy film “9 to 5.” “Many of the issues back then still exist.” In addition to the voter initiative on the ballot in Michigan in November, there are active campaigns in Washington, DC, New York and Massachusetts. “It looks like we are winning, but there is much work still to be done.” Along with original co-stars Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, Tomlin has agreed to co-star in a movie sequel to “9 to 5,” which could be ready in a year or two, “depending on when the script is finished.” Tomlin and Wagner are also involved in several independent films now in development. And finally, “I’m really hoping Jane is going to write another Broadway play for me. I’d love to do another one.”t

Tickets for “Stand Up, Stand Out” ($20-$40): https://sfoasis. com/calendar.

Info: www.axs.com/ events/359017/an-evening-ofclassic-lily-tomlin-tickets. Also: www.onefairwage.com.

Arts Events

Shining Stars Vol. 48 • No. 37 • September 13-19, 2018

www.ebar.com V www.bartabsf.com

Nightlife Events September 13-20

Sat 15

Project Nunway 9 @ SOMArts Cultural Center

Listings begin on page 24 >

Hunky pals at last year’s River Raid

Pool party River Raid’s splash in Guerneville by David-Elijah Nahmod

n Friday September 14, dozens of gay men will converge upon Guerneville for River Raid 2018, a weekend of partying by the Russian River. Book your rooms and buy your tickets now; why be stuck in the fog while the cute guys are at the river? See page 25 >>

{ THIRD OF THREE SECTIONS }

<< Nightlife Events

24 • Bay Area Reporter • September 13-19, 2018

Thu 13 After Dark @ Exploratorium

Jackie Beat, Sherry Vine @ Oasis

Angyl Nihthasu

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

The two saucy drag queens sing raunchy song parodies in Battle of the Bitches. $27-$40. 7pm. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Cocktails and science exhibits, Sept 13 is theme climate change; Sept 20 includes more interactive fun for adults. $15-$20. 6pm-10pm. Pier 13, Embarcadero at Green St. www.exploratorium.edu

Club Beautiful @ Elbo Room VivvyAnne ForeverMore’s monthly night of drag, pop-up shops and DJed grooves. $10. 10pm-2am. 647 Valencia St. www.elbo.com

Gayface @ El Rio Queer weekly night out at the popular Mission bar. 10pm-2am. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Jason Mraz @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley The pop singer performs at the scenic outdoor ampitheatre. Brett Dennen opens. $59. 7pm. 2001 Gayley Road, UC Berkeley campus. http://apeconcerts.com/

Liberace & Liza Minnelli Live! A Tribute @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko David Saffert and Jillian Snow Harris’ glamorous, comedic musical tribute to the two music icons. $22.50-$50 ($20 food/drink min.). 8pm. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. www.feinsteinsatthenikko.com

Long Island Thursdays @ White Horse Bar, Oakland Get snockered with cheap drinks at the historic gay bar. 9pm-2am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. www.whitehorsebar.com

The Monster Show @ The Edge The weekly drag show with host Sue Casa, DJ MC2, themed nights and hilarious fun. $5. 9pm-2am. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Macho Macho @ SF Eagle Celebrate Mexican Independence Day at the monthly Latinx leather night. $5. 9pm-2am. 398 12th St. sf-eagle.com

Fri 14

Mixed Forms @ The Stud

Boy Division @ Cat Club

Nightlife @ California Academy of Science Enjoy science, nature exhibits and nightlife at the unique weekly parties. Sept. 13: Noise Pop presents Classixx live with DH Sweater Funk plays 80s funk and boogie $12-$15. 6pm-9pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. www.calacademy.org

Picante @ The Cafe Lulu and DJ Marco’s Latin night with sexy gogo guys. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Puff @ The Stud The monthly queer marijuana appreciation night includes rockin’ diva Maria Konner, DJed music with Sergio Fedasz, DJ Dank’s birthday celebration, Stoner raffle, but no smoking in or near the bar, please. $10. 7pm-10pm. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Stand Up, Stand Out @ Oasis An evening of film, stand-up comedy and conversation with Tom Ammiano, Karen Ripley, Dirk Alphin and Paul Boneburg. See feature in Arts. $20$40. 7pm. 298 11th St. sfoasis.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550 The Country-Western line-dancing two-stepping dance event celebrates 20 years. Free thru April 29; $5 after. 5pm-10:30pm. Also Sundays. 550 Barneveld Ave. sundancesaloon.org

Fri 14 Boy Division @ Cat Club The monthly New Wave queer- dance night features retro grooves with DJs Xander and Starr. Proceeds benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center. $5-$10. 9:30pm-3am. 1190 Folsom St. www.sfcatclub.com

Cubcake @ Lone Star Saloon Bears, cubs, treats and a packed bar, with DJ Paul Goodyear. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Freak Show @ Oasis The LA-based horror-themed variety show returns, with hosts Tuesday Thomas and Cyrus Naderpour, twisted stand-up comedy, music and odd performance art. $10-$15. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Friday Night Live @ El Rio Enjoy the weekly queer and LGBTfriendly live acoustic concerts. $5pm. 3158 Mission St. www.elriosf.com

Grand Opening @ The Stud Denim theme and dress code at the drag night. $5 9pm-3am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Latin Explosion @ Club 21 The popular Latin club with gogo guys galore and Latin music. $10-$20. 9pm-3am. 2111 Franklin St., Oakland. www.club21oakland.com

Lick It @ Powerhouse Lance Holman’s low-key high-sexy cruise and kink night, with DJ Blackstone. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Manimal @ Beaux Gogo-tastic dance night starts off your weekend. $5. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Patti Smith, Bob Wier, Eric Burden @ The Masonic Pathway to Paris, a talent-packed concert with a dozen+ musicians, focusing on The Paris Agreement on climate change. $39-$200. 7pm. 1111 California St. sfmasonic.com

One-year anniversary of the eclectic mixed music night. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Mother @ Oasis Heklina’s popular drag show, with special guests and great music themes. DJ MC2 plays grooves. $10$15. 10pm-3am (11:30pm show). 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Beatpig @ Powerhouse

Disco Daddy @ SF Eagle Legendary DJ Steve Fabus (Trocadero Transfer, Go Bang) plays an extended set of disco classics. $5-$10. 7pm1am. 398 12th st. www.sf-eagle.com

Domingo De Escandal @ Club OMG Weekly Latin night with drag shows hosted by Vicky Jimenez and DJ Carlitos. (Comedy Open Mic 5:30pm). 7pm-2am. 43 6th St. clubomgsf.com

Jock @ The Lookout Enjoy the weekly jock-ular fun, with DJed dance music at sports team fundraisers. 12pm-1am. NY DJ Sharon White from 3pm-6pm. 3600 16th St. www.lookoutsf.com

Juanita’s Drag Brunch @ MORE/Jones Juanita MORE’s new daytime drag show on the restaurant’s scenic courtyard terrace, with a tasty revamped menu by chef Cory Armenta and food stylist Cole Church. Entrees $14-$21. 11am-3pm. 620 Jones St. http://620-jones.com/

Project Nunway 9 @ SOMArts Cultural Center The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s ninth annual festive fashion show of amazing drag couture, with MCs Sister Roma and Steven LeMay; DJ Legendary Spiider, performances by Alex U. Inn & Momma’s Boyz, Baloney, Queen Dilly Dally, plus celebrity judges Heklina, Juanita MORE!, Empress Pollo del Mar, Emperor Leandro Gonzalez and Kit Tapata; silent auction, cocktails and fun. Proceeds benefit Positive Resource Center. $20-$500. 7pm-11pm. 934 Brannan St. www.porjectnunway.com

Reddroxx @ Lone Star Saloon Folsom edition of the indie rockin’ night at the bear bar, with DJ Brd; leather gear encouraged. $5. 9pm-2am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Sugar @ The Cafe Dance, drink, cruise at the Castro club, with DJs Gay Marvine, Taco Tuesday and Matthew XO. 9pm-2am. 2369 Market St. www.cafesf.com

Sun 16 Big Top @ Beaux Enjoy an extra weekend night at the fun Castro nightclub, plus hot local DJs and sexy gogo guys and gals. $8. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.Beauxsf.com

Blessed @ Port Bar, Oakland

Sat 15

Carnie Asada’s fun drag night with Carnie’s Angels Mahlae Balenciaga and Au Jus, plus DJ Ion. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com

Thu 13 Jason Mraz @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley

Sexy Good Time Wrestle Show @ Oasis Hoodslam, the raucous, hilarious East Bay pro wrestling crew, returns to the nightclub for a wild time. $20-$30. 3pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Shag @ Powerhouse Sleazy grooves and host Nic Canito. $5. 9pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Mon 17 Drag Quing Pageant @ The Stud Erika Klash Alabama Blaikie and Bea Dazzler’s new trans non-binary gender queer pageant. 7pm-12am. 399 9th St. www.studsf.com

Juanita MORE! and crew’s night of queens, butches and cruisy fun. $5. 10pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Cheese Fest @ SF Social Hall Fourth annual celebration of California artisan cheese, with live music, wine, beer, ciders and soft drinks. $84. 6pm-9pm. 1270 Sutter St. Also Sept. 16, and at the Cheese School. www.sfcheesefest.com

Go Bang Dad! @ Driftwood Go Bang DJs Steve Fabus, Sergio Fedasz and Prince Wolf guest-DJ the intimate popular night, with Kelly Naughton and Michael Romano. $5$10. 9pm-2am. 1225 Folsom St. www.driftwoodbarsf.com

Green Eggs and Bam! @ Flore Drag shows and brunch at the central restaurant-café, with hostess Camille Tow. Shows at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm. 2298 Market St. www.flore415.com

Fri 14

Freak Show @ Oasis

Nightlife Events>>

September 13-19, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 25

Epic Karaoke @ White Horse, Oakland

Sing Out @ Encore Karaoke Lounge

Mondays and Tuesdays popular weekly sing-along night. No cover. 8:30pm-1am. 6551 Telegraph Ave, (510) 652-3820. whitehorsebar.com

Home of drag shows, and hilaraoke karaoke. 9pm-1am. 1550 California St. #2. 775-0442.

Munro’s at Midnight @ Midnight Sun

Stag @ Powerhouse

Drag night with Mercedez Munro. No cover. 10pm. 4067 18th St. 861-4186. www.midnightsunsf.com

Single, or a couple looking for an extra? Cruise it up. $5. 5pm-2am. 1347 Folsom St. www.powerhousebar.com

Musical Mondays @ The Edge

Trivia with Trixxie @ Pause Wine Bar

Sing along to shows tunes on video, lip-synched, and live, at the Castro bar. 4149 18th St. at Collingwood. www.edgesf.com

Glam rockin’ faux-queen Trixxie Carr hosts a wacky night of fun with songs, trivia games and more at the stylish wine bar. 8pm-10pm. 1666 Market St. https://www. yieldandpause.com/

Underwear Night @ 440

Vice Tuesdays @ Q Bar Queer femme and friends dance party with hip hop, Top 40 and throwbacks with DJs Val G and Iris Triska. 9pm2am. 456 Castro St. www.QbarSF.com

Wed 19 American Horror Story @ SF Eagle Free screenings of the new season of Ryan Murphy’s gruesome TV series. 9pm. 398 12th St. www.sf-eagle.com New weekly piano bar sing-along night with alternating hosts Maria Konner, Kitten on the Keys and Alan Choy. 9pm-12am. 2298 Market St. www.flore415.com

Cocktail Time @ Ginger’s Trois

Strip down to your skivvies at the popular men’s night. 9pm-2am. 440 Castro St. 621-8732. the440.com

Enjoy drinks at the intimate downstairs tribute to the original dive bar. Tue & Wed 6pm-9pm. Thu-Sat 5pm-2am. 86 Hardie Place.

Tue 18

Comedy Showcase @ SF Eagle

Cock Shot @ Beaux The weeknight party gets sexy, with DJ Chad Bays spins sexy grooves. No cover. 9pm-2am. 2344 Market St. www.beauxsf.com

Kollin Holtz hosts the open mic comedy night. 5:30pm-8pm. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

Gigante @ Port Bar, Oakland

Culture Club, The B-52s @ Mountain Winery, Saratoga Boy George performs with his band, plus the rockin’ B-52s, and Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey. $89$230. 6:30pm. Also Sept. 19. 14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga. www.boygeorgeuk.com www.mountainwinery.com/ concerts

Tue 18 Trivia with Trixxie @ Pause Wine Bar

Thu 20

Club 88 @ Flore

Juanita MORE! and DJ Frisco Robbie’s weekly event, with Latin, Hip Hop and House music, gogo gals and guys, and a drag show. $5. 9pm-2am. 2023 Broadway, Oakland. www.portoakland.com

Pan Dulce @ Beaux Drag divas, gogo studs, DJed Latin grooves and drinks. 9pm2am (free before 10:30pm). 2344 Market St. clubpapi.com

Aquabats @ Slim’s

Queeraoke @ El Rio

Kick It @ DNA Lounge

Enjoy Dulce de Leche, Rahni NothingMore and other talents, and karaoke for queens. 9pm. 3158 Mission St. http://www.elriosf.com

Kandi Love, Northcore Collective and Plus Alliance’s weekly EDM, flow arts dance night, with DJs; glow drag encouraged. $5-$10. 9pm-2am. 375 11th St. www.dnalounge.com

Thu 20

Queer Karaoke @ Club OMG

Aquabats @ Slim’s The SoMa nightclub celebrates its 30th anniversary with the wacky costumed superhero band performing; also, Kepi Ghoulie and Dog Party (other shows/bands Sept 18 & 19). $30-$130. 7pm. 333 11th St. www.slimspresents.com

Drunk Drag Broadway @ Oasis

KJ Dana hosts the weekly singing night; unleash your inner American Idol; first Thursdays are Costume Karaoke; 3rd is Kinky Karaoke 8pm. 43 6th St. www.clubomgsf.com

Thursday Night Live @ SF Eagle Rock bands play at the famed leather bar. $8. 398 12th St. at Harrison. www.sf-eagle.com

The show tune parody ensemble goes dizzy for “Dizney.” $20-$40. 8pm. Sept 21 & 22 7pm. Sept 23 at 5pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Thursdays Rock @ Lone Star Saloon

The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers @ AT&T Park

Tubesteak Connection @ Aunt Charlie’s Lounge

The iconic rock bands share a gig at the baseball park; Zac Brown Band opens. $60-$500. 5pm. 24 Willie Mays Plaza. www.livenation.com

Grooves with DJ BRD. 8pm-12am. 1354 Harrison St. www.lonestarsf.com

Disco guru DJ Bus Station John spins grooves at the intimate retro music night. 10pm-2am. 133 Turk St. at Taylor. www.auntcharlieslounge.com

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River Raid

From page 23

River Raid is a great opportunity to party with hot, scantily clad men and make some new friends. The weekend includes a cocktail mixer, an all-day pool party, a nighttime dance party, a barbecue and a spa day. “River Raid is the perfect way to get away and enjoy a weekend by the pool before the end of summer,” said River Raid organizer Paul Miller. “Unlike some of the other events up at the river, it’s less about who you are or what you look like. It’s just about 300 people making the most of good weather and awesome music.” The weekend commences with the cocktail mixer on Friday night from 8pm-midnight at the Rainbow

Cattle Company, 6220 Main Street, Guerneville. The main event, an allday pool party, follows on Saturday afternoon, from 12 noon until sundown at the R3 Resort, 16390 4th Street. Music will be provided by Juan (MR/Beatbox events) and Max Bruce (DILF, LA). Juan has worked as a DJ in San Francisco for over twenty years. He is best known for playing his “Meaty Beats,” a sexy bass-driven funk style of House Music. Juan also plays dance-pop, indie, nu-disco and atmospheric soundscapes. Max Bruce is a renowned DJ who travels the country, providing hard driven house music to the gay denizens of San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, as well as far-flung locales such as Chicago and Texas. Both Juan and Max will be on hand again for Saturday night’s

Dump Truck Dance party at The Bullpen, 16246 First Street, Guerneville. On Sunday afternoon, it’s back to the R3 Resort for some chilling out with a Recovery BBQ and spa day. The weekend’s host hotel is the R3, 16390 4th Street, Guerneville. The hotel offers 23 guest rooms, which feature private baths, cable TV, refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave and free wifi. All guest rooms overlook the hotel’s pool. For information on reserving a room, please visit The host RV camp is Parker’s Resort, 16220 Neeley Road, Guerneville. Over 25 sites are available with 30 AMP and water. All sites have access to restrooms and showers.t www.parkersresort-llc.com www.ther3hotel.com

<< Arts Events

26 • Bay Area Reporter • September 13-19, 2018

Arts Events September 13-20

Fri 14

Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Victoria Theatre

For full listings, visit www.ebar.com/events

Thu 13 Classic and New Films @ Castro Theatre Sept. 13: Green Film Festival closing night screening of The Condor and the Eagle (7:30). Sept 14: Suspiria (1977 original) and The Neon Demon (9:25). Sept. 15: SF Silent Film Festival opening, with Club Foot Orchestra performing live scores to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, Nosferatu and more classics. Sept 16 & 17: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. (1:30, 3:45, 6pm, 8:45). Sept. 18: Sorry To Bother You (7pm) and Glengarry Glen Ross (9pm). Sept 19: Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (5pm, 7pm, 9pm). Sept 20: Battleship Potemkin (7pm) and The Battle of Algiers (8:35). $11-$14. 429 Castro St. castrotheatre.com

Dance Concerts @ CounterPulse Deborah Slater Dance and John Fesenko’s In Civility #2: Outrage Machine and Daevron and Raissa Simpson’s Push Dance Company’s TecTonic Shifts are performed. $20$35. Thu-Sat 8pm. Thru Sept 22. 80 Turk St. www.counterpulse.org

A Doll’s House: Part 2 @ Berkeley Repertory Theatre Lucas Hnath’s innovative funny ‘sequel’ to the Henrik Ibsen theatre classic about a 19th-century housewife who returns to the husband she abandoned. $23-$75. Thru Oct. 21. 2025 Addison St. www.berkeleyrep.org

Fringe Festival @ Exit Theatre Annual festival of intimate independent and unusual plays; 20 shows, 9 nights. $10-$85 (10 shows) Thru Sept. 15. 156 Eddy St. www.sffringe.org

Ken Knabb @ City Lights Bookstore The author of The Situationists and May 1968 discusses the historic revolt in France. 7pm. 261 Columbus Ave. www.citylights.com

Fri 14

Kiss @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley

Wayne Goodman @ Hormel Center

Guillermo Calderon’s play about a group of actors who discover a script set in Damascus, begin performing what appears to be a romantic melodrama about life in Syria, but which proves to be more of a mystery. $7-$42. Thu-Sun thru Sept. 23. 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. www.shotgunplayers.org

The author of three historical novels discusses his adaptations of nearly-lost gay books. 6pm. SF Public Library, 3rd floor, 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Night at the Jewseum @ Contemporary Jewish Museum

The Briggs Initiative: A Scary Proposition @ GLBT History Museum

Green Thursday as part of Culture for Climate, a unique collaboration of 13 arts and culture organizations in downtown San Francisco in tandem with the Climate Action Summit. Free. 5pm-9pm. 736 Mission St. www.thecjm.org

On Your Feet @ Golden Gate Theatre Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s biographical musical (book by Alexander Dinelaris) features the singer-composer’s hit songs, terrific dancing and drama. $55-$236. Thru Oct. 2. 1 Taylor St. www.shnsf.com

Queer Love on Barbary Lane: Tales of the City @ LGBT History Museum Author/scholar Ramzi Fawaz shares an illustrated discussion about the history of Armistead Maupin’s best-selling books, and how local readers of the initial serialized SF Chronicle column reached LGBT people. $5. 7pm-9pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Stand Up, Stand Out @ Oasis An evening of film, stand-up comedy and conversation with Tom Ammiano, Karen Ripley, Dirk Alphin and Paul Boneburg. $20$40. 7pm. 298 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Fri 14 Opening reception for a new exhibit about the 1978 homophobic Sen. Briggs-proposed gay schoolteacher ban, curated by Sue Englander, Paula Lichtenberg and Glenne McElhinney. $5. 7pm9pm. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Detroit ‘67 @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley Dominique Morisseau’s Motowninfused drama about an African American family’s connections while enduring the historic riots of 1967. $35-$70. Thru Oct. 7. 2018 Addison St., Berkeley. www.auroratheatre.org

Each and Every Thing @ The Marsh Berkeley

Can You Dig It? The ‘60s @ The Marsh Berkeley

Dan Hoyle returns with his hit show about attempts to connect in a busy digital world. $25-$100. Thu & Fri 8pm, Sat 8:30pm. Thru Sept. 29. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Don Reed’s popular solo show about his unusual childhood in San Francisco. $20-$100. 5pm. Also Sun 5:30pm, thru Sept 9. 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Victoria Theatre

Mamma Mia! @ Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek

Ray of Light Theatre’s new production of the hit rock musical about a German transgender singer and alter-ego. $15-$40. Thru Oct. 6. 2961 16th St. rayoflighttheatre.com

Matthew N. Lyons @ Green Arcade Bookstore The author of Insurgent Supremacists: Who is the Far-Right, What Do They Want, and How to Stop Them discusses his book and the current political situation. 7pm. 1687 Market St. thegreenarcade.com

The Phantom of the Opera @ Orpheum Theatre New lavishly-staged touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical. $56-$256. Thru Sept. 30. 1192 Market St. www.shnsf.com

San Francisco Opera @ War Memorial Opera House 96th season opening, with performances of Roberto Devereux (Sept 14, 18, 23, 27) and Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliaci (Sept 16, 19, 22, 28, 30, various times). $26-$370. 301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfopera.com

Sat 15 Caesar Maximus @ Music Concourse We Players’ performs Nick Medina and Ava Roy’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, with a circus theme, performed outdoors at the park’s museum area. $35-$65. Thu-Sun 5:30pm. Thru Sept. 30. Music Concourse Drive at Golden Gate Park. www.weplayers.org

Detroit ‘67 @ Aurora Theatre, Berkeley

The ABBA jukebox musical gets a local production, with LeAnne Borghesi and other talented singeractors. $39-$83. Thru Oct. 7. 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. www.lesherartscenter.org

Pride Poetry Palooza @ Strut Perfectly Queer reading series presents eight poets reading at the health center. Free, pie and door prizes. 7pm. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Sun 16 High Tea with Gravity @ Countpulse Fundraiser for the Jess Curtis/ Gravity’s Artist Services Programs, with performances by Monique Jenkinson, Gabriel Christian, Antoine Hunter’s Urban Jazz Dance Company, Sara Shelton Mann, Rachael Dichter, Jose Abad, and dance films by AXIS Dance/ Alex Ketley and Marc Brew, with ASL interpretation and live audio description. $20-$40. 2pm-4pm. 80 Turk St. www.counterpulse.org

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Washed Up on the Potomac @ Custom Made Theatre World premiere of José Zayas’ play about D.C. proofreaders caught up in a possibly murderous scandal. $30. Thu 7pm, Fri & Sat 8pm. Sat 3pm. 533 Sutter St. 2nd floor. www.sfplayhouse.org

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Arts Events>>

September 13-19, 2018 • Bay Area Reporter • 27

Peter Hujar: Speed of Life @ BAM/PFA, Berkeley

Smack Dab @ Dog Eared Books

Exhibit of photos by the New York 1970s-’80s art/celebrity scene gay photographer who died of AIDS in 1987; thru Nov. 18. 2155 Center St. Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Guy Clark (florist and interviewee in the AIDS documentary We Were Here ) is a featured guest at the monthly eclectic reading/open mic series, cohosted by Dana Hopkins and Larry-bob Roberts. 8pm. 489 Castro St. dogearedbooks.com

S.M. Shifflett @ Strut Performative Identities, the artist’s exhibit of paintings depicting LGBT people in striking allegorical scenes; thru Sept. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Will Durst @ The Marsh

Tue 18

Peter Hujar: Speed of Life @ BAM/PFA, Berkeley

Joseph Abbati @ Strut Opening reception for A Beautiful Indiscretion, the artist’s exhibit of photo collages. 6pm-8pm. Thru Sept. 470 Castro St. www.strutsf.org

Queer Tango @ Finnish Hall, Berkeley Same-sex partner tango dancing, including lessons for newbies, food and drinks. $5-$10. 3:30pm6:30pm. 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeley. www.finnishhall.org

Veiled Meanings @ Contemp. Jewish Museum Veiled Meanings: Fashioning Jewish Dress, from the Collection of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, an exhibit of detailed clothing from dozens of countries; thru Jan 6, 2019. 2019. 736 Mission St. www.thecjm.org

Tue 18 The Black Woman is God @ SOMArts Cultural Center Group exhibit of art depicting African women, with dozens of artists. Tue-Fri 12pm-7pm. Sat 12pm-5pm. Thru Oct. 2. 934 Brannan St. www.somarts.org

Mon 17 Connecting Threads @ JCCSF Quilts From the Social Justice Sewing Academy, an exhibit of textile art by local youth, with political themes. Mon-Fri 8am10pm, Sun 8am-8pm, thru Nov. SF Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St. www.jccsf.org

Mark Stein @ SF State History Dept. The History professor’s talk, Students, Sodomy, and the State: LGBT Campus Struggles in the 1970s. Free. 12:30pm. Jack Adams Hall, 1600 Holloway St. www.sfsu.edu

Thu 20 Coal + Ice @ Fort Mason

The erudite political comic returns with yet another updated version of his show, Durst Case Scenario: Midterm Madness. $20-$100. Tuesdays, 8pm Thru Oct. 30. 1062 Valencia St. www.themarsh.org

Clifford Ross’ mesmerizing Light Waves II, an installation of LED walls displaying digital extreme climate change videos. Sun-thu 10am-5pm. Fri til 9pm, Sat til 6pm. Thru Sept 23. 2 Marina Blvd. www.cliffordross.com

You Mean To Do Me Harm @ SF Playhouse

Empowerment in Print @ GLBT History Museum

Award-winning playwright Christopher Chen’s drama about two interracial couples, and an insult that starts an escalation of anger and paranoia. $35$100. Thru Nov. 3. 420 Post St. sfplayhouse.org

Empowerment in Print: LGBTQ Activism, Pride & Lust, a miniexhibit of periodicals from the collection. Angela Davis: OUTspoken, a new exhibit of art and ephemera about the historic lesbian activist and scholar, and Faces of

the Past: Queer Lives in Northern California Before 1930, part of the Queer Past Becomes Present main exhibit. $5. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Jim Provenzano @ Dog Eared Books The Lambda Literary Award-winning local author reads from his sixth novel, Now I’m Here, with Peter Fogel (Whoa Nellies) performing songs by Queen. Free. 7pm. 489 Castro St. www.jimprovenzano.com www.dogearedbooks.com

SF Arts Commision Grantees @ Herbst Theatre Free community event celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Cultural Equity Endowment Legislation, with honors for recipient Patrick Makuakane, and a performance by Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. 5pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.sfartscommission.org To submit event listings, email events@ebar.com. Deadline is each Thursday, a week before publication.

Wed 19 Expedition Reef @ California Academy of Sciences Exhibits and planetarium shows with various live, interactive and installed exhibits about animals, plants and the earth;. $20-$35. Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. 379-8000. calacademy.org

Monica Lundy @ Nancy Toomey Fine Art Deviance - Women in the Asylum During the Fascist Regime, an exhibit of the artist’s touching posthumous portraits in coffee, charcoal and burnt paper. Thru Oct. 13. 1275 Minnesota St. www.nancytoomeyfineart.com

Wed 19

Guy Clark at Smack Dab @ Dog Eared Books

Shining Stars Steven Underhill Photos by

Clown Town @ The Stud

ozos in abundance made Veruca Bathsalts’ night hosting Desperate Living at The Stud a hilarious, and slightly creepy, night out. Year of the Fist performed a live set, while dragsters in clown white, red noses and circusy drag made for a night to remember, or, for the clown-phobic, a night to try to forget! The Stud, 399 9th St. at Harrison www.studsf.com See plenty more photos on BARtab’s Facebook page, facebook.com/lgbtsf.nightlife. See more of Steven Underhill’s photos at StevenUnderhill.com.

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